Summer Rain
by KeepCalmAndWatchAnime
Summary: Being forced to stay in New York City for the rest of the summer, Naruto decides to pass the time by getting a job at the fancy hotel he stays in while his grandfather goes out to do his "research". Unfortunately, the Uchiha brothers that live on the top floor won't give him a break, but will surely give him a summer worth remembering. SasuNaru and slight ItaNaru.
1. Chapter 1

**_Prologue_**

_Sunshine is common in the Summertime._

_It is expected._

_It is wanted._

_But every once in a while,_

_It rains. _

_It is not always expected._

_It is not always wanted._

_But it happens for a reason._

_And sometimes,_

_We need rain in the summertime of our lives._

_We need something unexpected._

_We need something we may not want at first-_

_So we can realize how badly we want it when it's gone._

* * *

I've been in New York for five days and I already can't stand it. The job I've recently been hired to sucks. I thought it would be a great way to pass time, since my grandfather is never around, and being a lazy bum all day gets boring, but damn this is terrible. All I do is keep the lobbies tidy, wash dishes, clean pools, and occasionally provide room service for the pompous, arrogant, stuck up rich people that lounge in their rooms all day until they go out and party all night.

But If there's one thing I hate the most about my job, it's my boss. He's close friends with my grandfather, he knows him well since he stays at this place regular and has pretty much been hard on me from day one. If the tables were clean, the dishes weren't spotless enough. If the floors were vacuumed to perfection, the towels by the indoor pool needed to be cleaned. It's just task after task day in and day out. I work long shifts, and make pretty good pay doing so, but it gets irritating, especially when you're the youngest person working there. People tend to look down on you, and there's no doubt in my mind that they know I'm not from the city. I'm practically the elephant in the room everywhere I go, and they act as if I don't know they're talking about my "abnormally blond hair" or my skin that's "too tan to be natural".

"I think you've done enough for the day", he says before handing me my end of the week paycheck.

I sigh in relief as he walks away, and stare at the envelope as if it holds some kind of secret power. _Money. Hard earned money. Four hundred and fifty, and it's all mine!_

I look at the clock, and can't believe how late it is. It's almost midnight, but here I am, standing in the middle of the hallway with my mouth agape, holding onto the highest salary I've ever gotten in my seventeen years of living.

"Are you going to move, or do I have to stand here for another three minutes while you drool over your minimum wage paycheck"

I turn around and face the asshole who had the nerve to be so rude to me. That's the number one thing I hated about people from New York. Everything that left their lips had to have some kind of sarcastic or snippy tone to it.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know I was blocking-"

"Well I suggest you move because I'm getting impatient"

Being the polite person I was raised to be, I didn't let the rudeness get to me and stepped aside to let him into the exercise room. I can't argue with him anyways, it would cost be my job. It's probably the highest paying one I can get in this wasteland of a city too.

I watch his long, dark, back length hair sway subtly as he enters the gym- a dark aura glowing around him as he does so. I had never met someone who was just so...intimidating. He stood about six foot four and had the iciest glare I'd ever seen, so despite being a pretty boy, he had a "don't mess with me" edge to him.

"Asshole", I whisper faintly to myself once he shuts the door.

I walk through the hallways, taking notice of the finely painted emerald green walls and ornate paintings. _Wow, this place sure is nice. If only the people were nice too._

I enter the elevator and press the button to the seventh floor, waiting anxiously as it hummed softly, passing the first two levels with a soft bell like noise. It stopped at the third floor, and a tall, pale, lean man with long black hair tied back in a ponytail walked in. Like the man I had recently encountered, he was tall too, and at this point, I'm slowly beginning to accept the fact that I'm shorter than the average man.

The ride was awkward, and it was nearly impossible for me to take my eyes off his face. I felt like I was in the elevator with a model, or some type of elitist, and I was tempted to reach out and poke him in the face just to see if it would crack. He had a perfectly constructed features, and fierce eyes that held some type of mystery in them. Most likely, he worked out once or twice a day, but also kept a high paying job. His presence made me feel slightly uncomfortable, and pinpointing why became harder with every nerve racking second that passed. It could have been the serious, stoic look he had on his face, or the fact that I was alone in the elevator with someone who made me feel extremely inferior, I couldn't quite figure out the reason I felt so distressed.

When I had finally reached my floor, I walked cautiously to my room, fumbling around in my pocket for the key. Surprisingly, when I opened the door, my grandfather was lying on the sofa completely knocked out from whatever alcohol he had over indulged in this time. By day he did "research" for the new novel he plans on writing, and by night...well...I'd rather not say. But it was good to see him, even though I despise him when he's like this. I can't really say he neglects me, there are months when all he does is spend time at our home in Malibu. We'd have meaningful conversations while we sat in the family room watching TV, or we'd go out to the city just for some fresh air or a nice breakfast. But then the time rolls around when he has to write another novel, and with the blink of an eye he's M.I.A for a few days before he comes back for one night and takes off again. At this point, I've gotten use to it.

I walk over to the sofa, looking blankly at him as he sleeps. His long white hair flows over the armrest like a waterfall, nearly touching the velvety floor, and his face is still slightly pink. There's a small amount of drool pouring from out of his mouth, and to top it all off, he's not wearing pants. _Gross._

I face plant onto my bed without even considering brushing my teeth or getting underneath the covers. It was one of those days where going to sleep was number one on my to do list. At least no one could get on my nerves in my dreams.

* * *

Weekends were the only days I had off, and this being my first weekend in this city, I wasn't sure of how to spend my time. You'd rarely hear someone say "I don't know what to do in Manhattan", but this place is so big and crowded that I would probably get lost just by walking two blocks away. So the only options I could think of would be watching TV all day or relaxing at the spa for a little while. Since it was only 11am, I decided the best way to start my day would be at the spa.

I aimlessly roll my way out of bed, almost failing to land feet first. When I look around, I realize the curtains were left wide open, letting a huge amount of brightness into the room. Even though I hate staying at this boring hotel, I sure love the lively view we have from the fifth floor. I can see the swarms of people moving from one place to another like hard working ants, and cars traveling on the maze like roads. It was nothing I had ever seen before, and wouldn't mind seeing every morning I wake up for the rest of my life.

A loud buzzing noise snaps me out of my trance. I pick up the phone from off the finely polished wooden table, squinting at the caller ID before letting out a disappointed sigh. _Sakura._

It was too early in the morning to deal with her. If I felt like it, I'd call her back in two or three hours, but now was not the time to listen her ramble on and on about how much fun she was having back at home. It's sad to say, but I'm already extremely homesick, and just listening to her voice would make me feel even worse.

I place my phone back on the table and search in a few drawers for my swim trunks. After a long period of searching through the disorganized mess of unfolded clothes, I finally find what I need. _I hope these still fit._

I slip out of yesterdays work clothes, and into my swimwear, throwing a white T-shirt on so I wouldn't feel awkward walking through the hallway. _Maybe I should buy a few bowls of cup noodles afterwards. Yeah...that sounds pretty nice._

When I reach the spa area, I couldn't feel any happier to see that it was completely empty. Even the pool had nothing but crystal clean water in it. No noisy kids, and no snobby rich adults in the jacuzzi. _This is a miracle! It can't get any better than this!_

I slide into the wonderful, refreshing heat of the small jacuzzi, and my eyes nearly roll to the back of my head. After working all week, nothing felt better than this. It was pure perfection, and my head fell back at the feeling of relief. All was well, until I heard the door open. I prayed that it was just an old person wanting to go for an early morning dip in the pool, but i heard the footsteps heading closer towards me. I finally open my eyes and lift my head up, only to see the man I saw in the elevator yesterday sliding into the jacuzzi, with that bone chilling stoic look stapled hard onto his face. _Great. Just great._

As I suspected, he doesn't say a word to me. He places his arms up on both sides of the ledge, and the veins in his arms twitch while doing so. For someone who appeared to be so uptight, it was weird to see him actually relaxing.

"I'm used to people staring at me, but you just take it to a whole nother level. Are you really that fascinated by me?"

I feel a lump forming in my throat, and know that my face is turning red. My mouth opens once or twice, trying to find the right words to say, but nothing comes out. To my surprise, he only chuckles at me. The laugh is flawless and has a dark undertone to it, but it's a laugh none the less, so maybe he wasn't as irritated as I thought he was.

"I didn't expect you to actually try to answer the question. Maybe an apology, but you actually looked like you were about to make up some excuse"

His voice is low and patronizing. I was so mortified that I wanted to jump out as fast as I could and run away, but something told me to stand my ground, or at least say something in defense.

"I-I...You just look really familiar, that's all", I blurt out. A small, tantalizing smirk makes its way to his face, and I regret giving such a horrible response.

"Yeah, I remember seeing you in the elevator yesterday. Staring at me", he says mockingly.

The situation was suddenly becoming unbearably uncomfortable, so I decided to step out of the hot tub to dry off. Before I could get the other half of my body out of the water, he asks another question.

"Running off already? Aren't you going to at least introduce yourself to me?"

I refuse to answer, but he continues to try and spark a conversation. "I see that you're shy, so maybe I should introduce myself first. My name is Itachi, and you are?"

"Naruto", I say barely above a whisper.

"Naruto", he repeats boldly. The way my name rolls off of his tongue makes it sound like he's trying to seduce me.

"That's a very odd name for an American boy", he adds skeptically.

"Half Japanese", I say bluntly before slowly sliding back into the tub. Talking with my ass facing him was getting painfully awkward.

"Can you speak the language fluently?"

"Eh, I know enough to get by in Japan"

"Interesting", he says softly. "So what brings you here to this city?"

I sigh, unsure of how much information I should give him.

"I guess you could say I'm here on vacation", I grumble.

"You don't sound too thrilled to be here"

"Yeah, I honestly don't like it here at all"

He chuckles again, even though I'm not sure why he finds it so funny. Being here is actually miserable. "I guess it's not a happy place for everyone"

"Sure as hell isn't", I snort.

There's an odd silence after my snide remark, but it's thankfully cut short. "I do not mean to raise your suspicion when I ask you this, but how old are you?"

I sit up straighter before I reply. "Eighteen"

So, I wasn't eighteen, but I was going to be in a year. It's not like I felt guilty lying to him. I don't see why he wouldn't believe me.

"You look a lot younger than eighteen"

The words kind of hurt for some reason, even though they were the truth. Part of me wishes that I looked older. Only a few people have told me I look younger than my real age.

"Well regardless of how I look, I am eighteen years old", I snap back in defense.

He gives me a soft smile, one that actually seems genuine. "You're right on that part"

Seduction was lurking in that sentence, and I was beginning to feel as if I was telling him too much. I sank a little lower into the steaming water, trying to cover up as much of my body as possible.

"You know, I have a brother about your age"

"Is he here with you?"

"Somewhat. He's out and about. His job is quite time consuming", he says cautiously. "Do you work? I saw you wearing what appeared to be a job uniform yesterday"

"Oh, I actually work here at this hotel", I say nervously.

"But you're on vacation"

"It's complicated", I say flatly.

"I'm assuming you're here with an adult?"

I sigh, and shift around uncomfortably in the jacuzzi's strong heat. "Yes, but he's gone most of the time"

He nods his head slowly, and I wondered if I made my grandfather sound like an asshole. When you say that your legal guardian isn't around most of the time, it doesn't make them look good.

"Because he does research", I add on.

"Really? What kind?"

I hesitate, trying to avoid giving out too much about the perverted old bastard who dragged me all the way across the Country. He's a popular author too, and the last thing I wanted was for news to get around that he was here for the whole Summer.

"He writes books, and to get inspiration for them, he often travels a lot. I'd usually stay with a friend or a relative when he's gone, but for some reason, he dragged me with him. I can't understand why", I say dryly.

"What genre does he typically write?"

I stutter a bit, but I finally find the word I'm looking for. "Romance", I say confidently. "It's the only genre he writes"

I didn't have much of a choice but to downplay the truth. The last thing I wanted to tell this stranger was that my grandfather wrote porn for a living.

"He's a great writer", I say proudly.

"Is he well known?"

"There's no doubt in my mind that he is"

The man smirks at me, and for the tenth time since I'd gotten in the tub, I squirmed as if I didn't have enough room.

"What's his name? I'd be interested in reading one of his books"

My face turns red, and I struggle to come up with an excuse. "Uh...I can't give out his name. He told me not to tell anyone he's here. It's why you never really see him around"

"Understandable", he says casually.

The heat, and the very personal game of twenty questions was making me nauseous.

"I think it's time for me to get out. I'm dizzy", I say to make my escape.

"Very well then. I'm sure we'll meet again. I will be staying at this hotel for a while as well"

I pull myself out of the warm abyss, before grabbing a towel and drying myself off with it. I can feel his eyes on me, and it only makes me rush. _He's not going to do anything to you. Calm down._ I begin to take my time, trying not to worry about the creepy twenty-something year old watching me from the hot tub. _Itachi._

As I walk out the door, I still feel his eyes on me, and by the the time I reach the hallway I pick up the pace. I needed to get as far away from him as possible.

* * *

**A/N: So tell me what you think! If it gets enough follows/ Reviews I will continue, and if not, I'll be focusing on my other stories. I just really liked the idea I had for this one, so I will hopefully continue to write it. Hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Chapter 2

After the awkward altercation at the spa, I decided to stay inside for the rest of the day. I called Sakura back, and talked to her until I felt the need to hang up. Her voice was beginning to tug at my heart strings, and I was choking up on the phone. I hung up for the best.

So the entire day was spent in solitude watching whatever caught my attention on TV, and even that got boring. I couldn't sit and watch another hour of the news channel, or some cliche sitcom, so around midnight I sat in the chair facing the window to watch all the commotion going on seven floors below me outside. It was much better than television, and I'd wished I'd realized that sooner. I eventually fell asleep around five in the morning, in that same chair I had spent hours upon hours watching the city night life in. I can't say it was a total waste of time.

* * *

I woke up extremely late- four thirty five to be exact. I regretted falling asleep in that chair, because now my back felt like it had been stepped on my an angry mob and my legs were sore.

I stand up to stretch my body, and notice the chaos going on outside. _What's going on? Today seems crazier than usual. I look closer and see that everyone is headed to central park, and I'm becoming curious as to why. Maybe there's a concert going on or some weird festival I don't know about._

I put on something decent; a plain white t-shirt, grey basketball shorts, and sneakers that were slightly worn. By the time I got out the fancy wooden doors of the suite, I was ready to bolt back inside. The amount of people moving from one place to another was insane, and reminded me of a swarm of fish swimming upstream. Every person going to the same place at the same time. Shit like this never happened in L.A.

Unexpectedly, I was knocked out of the way by someone much broader than me. As I assumed, he didn't even glance down at me afterward, and kept walking as if a simple "excuse me" would take up too much of his precious time.

"Fucking asshole!"

No matter how loudly I said it, it didn't matter. He wasn't looking back, and all I'd earned from my outburst was a few curious stares from the few bystanders who seemed to care. _Dammit! This is exactly why I hate New York City!_

Before I could predict it, I was bumped into again. This time, by someone around my age, and only a few inches taller than I was. Unlike the guy before, he acknowledged my existence and apologized.

"Sorry, didn't mean to run into ya"

He sounded like the guys I knew back in California. He spoke with a certain laid back tone that I hadn't heard since I'd left the golden state.

"It's fine", I say with a nervous grin.

He walks off and I suddenly have the urge to ask him a question. I run a bit to catch up to him, trying my best not to bump into anyone, which is nearly impossible. I found myself saying "sorry" to almost everyone.

Once I finally get close enough, I tap him softly on the shoulder. He turns his head to the side and looks down on me. Now that I actually have a good look at him, he's kind of attractive, and looked a little...high. Maybe he's not a reliable source.

"Sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to know what's going on. Everyone seems to be going to the same place, and I was wondering if you knew why"

He stares blankly at me a bit before answering. "You seriously don't know what's going on?"

"No", I state dryly. "That's why I asked you", I say impatiently.

He lets out a long, exaggerated sigh, and I was beginning to feel stupid for expecting someone from this shitty city to be polite enough to help me.

"Jazz festival", he says flatly.

"Jazz festival?", I repeat in surprise. I thought the only people that listened to jazz were over the age of fifty.

"Yeah. It sounds boring, but it's actually pretty fun. There's nice food, a decent amount of space to picnic, and a bunch of venders"

"Ooooh", I say slowly.

"You must not be from here", he says as he looks me up and down.

"Nope. Not at all", I say with a little too much pride.

"Yeah, cause if you really knew better, you wouldnt've tapped me on the shoulder. If you'd done that to the wrong person, you could've gotten punched"

The harshness of his remark makes me uncomfortable, but all I can do is thank him for the notice. "That's nice to know. I'll have to keep that in mind"

He chuckles at my naiveness, and by now we're walking side by side. "So where are you from?"

"California", I say proudly.

"What area?"

"Malibu"

He nods his head, being somewhat familiar with the city.

"I've never been, but from what I hear, it's very nice"

"It's so much better than 'very nice'. It's amazing!", I say with a bit too much enthusiasm. "I mean, not to brag", I say feeling slightly embarrassed by the exaggeration.

We stop at the crosswalk, and I suddenly take the time to notice how unique everyone is. Everyone has their own style, and their own way of walking and talking. Unlike Malibu where everyone looked, walked, and talked the same.

"Nothing wrong with being proud of where you're from. I've lived in Manhattan all my life, and can't help but feel proud when I say I'm from here"

"Wow. I can't imagine living here for any longer than a few months. It's just so…"

I struggle to find the right words to say. The last thing I wanted to do was insult the place he clearly takes pride in living in.

"Lively?"

I laugh nervously. "Well yeah, but also pretty chaotic"

"You get used to it", he says before letting out an overly dramatic yawn.

The walk sign glows a murky light blue color, and we attempt to stay on the white lines of the walkway.

"Hey, you know, I never really did get your name", I say as if I'd made a groundbreaking discovery.

"Shikamaru", he says nonchalantly.

I smile at the uniqueness of his name. Generic names, whether they were Japanese or American, always sort of ticked me off.

"Naruto"

He gives me a confused look, which I've gotten numerous times before. I tell people I'm half Japanese, and then all of a sudden they can kind of see it in me.

"I'm half Japanese"

He smiles, and I feel slightly less pissed off than I did a few minutes ago.

"Now that you mention it, I kind of see it"

We finally reach central park, and the stench of weed and alcohol shoots its way up my nostrils. Since we weren't very close to the stage, hearing each other talk wasn't too difficult.

"Wow", I say with infatuation.

A group of girls that were most likely a year or two older than us walked by. Three of them wore tightly fitted printed dresses, and the other three wore shorts that could easily be mistaken for denim underwear.

"God, I don't care if it's hot outside, they really don't need to be exposing themselves so much", he complains.

Back in Malibu, girls wore clothes like that even in the winter time. Nobody really said anything because nobody really cared. Guys never complained about it, and seeing clothing like that in and outside of school was common to the point where we never saw anything wrong with it. If they felt confident with what they were wearing, why get all uptight about it?

"I don't see anything wrong with it. It is really hot outside for it to be five in the afternoon"

He sighs, agreeing with my statement by fanning his face with his hand. "I know. What a drag", he groans. "And finding my friends in this heat will be a total pain in the ass"

I suddenly remembered that I had come here completely alone until I'd met him. I barely knew this guy, and asking to hang out with him after being with him for only twenty minutes felt awkward. Not only that, but I can't really trust a stranger, even if he was being friendly.

"Are you looking for anyone? Or did you decide to be adventurous and came here alone? Hopefully not the second one"

I laugh nervously, and he looks at me as if I didn't have a single brain cell.

"What the hell is someone as small and innocent looking as you doing in central park alone? You live all the way across the Country. Do you not know how terrifying this place can be? Especially around night time?"

I can feel the heat rising to my cheeks from anger and embarrassment. He's got a good point. I never really thought about what could happen to me. I'm not familiar with this place at all, and if something were to happen to me, my grandfather would flip.

"I don't have anyone to meet up here. I came to this city with only my grandfather, but he's at work right now", I grumble.

He sighs and rubs the back of his head. "I can't leave you here alone. I just can't. It doesn't feel right"

I grow nervous at the sound of urgency in his voice. _Is he really that concerned for me? Or does he want to get me alone so he can kidnap me?...No...he's about my age. How can he be a kidnapper? He may be a molester...but not a child abductor!_

"Just follow me. We're going to get some lemonade. Do you have any money?"

Before I can respond, he cuts me off. "No, that's a stupid question. Why would you come here without money?"

I'm such an airhead! Why didn't I bring any cash!?

"Well uh...actually"

He can tell by the shy look on my face that I don't have a single penny on me.

"Man, what a drag", he says sounding irritated with my stupidity. "I'll pay for you"

"Hey, you don't have to buy me anything", I say growing irritated with his pissy attitude.

"You're right, I don't. But I'm going to since it's too hot to not have anything to drink. Besides, I don't mind spending an extra four dollars on lemonade"

I smile at his kind offer, and at this point, I can't say "no".

"You don't know how grateful I feel right now"

"Yeah, whatever. You have a lot to learn"

* * *

We finally get to the lemonade stand and end up waiting about ten minutes in line. It was definitely worth the wait. The lemonade was ice cold, sweet, but not too sweet, and refreshing!

"This is the best lemonade I've ever had in my life!"

"Eh, it was better last year. Still worth its money though"

We throw our cups in the trash and I continue to follow him throughout the park. After a few minutes of walking, we finally stop.

"There they are"

I look slightly confused, until I see a very odd group of people waving in out direction. As we begin to approach them, I start to feel slightly nervous. Oh god, they're so weird.

"I know they're not the coolest people, but once you get past their dorkiness, they're pretty fun to be around"

A chunky boy eating a bag of BBQ chips looks at me with wide eyes.

"I see you brought a friend Shikamaru! What's your name?"

He looks at me curiously, as if he's trying to figure something out about me that's difficult to understand.

"Naruto", I reply kindly.

He smiles, and doesn't even question me.

"My name's Bones"

I give him a confused stare. He then begins to explain the odd name.

"Well, that's not my real name. I just prefer to be called that"

I nod my head, accepting the strange nikname that certainly did not match his body type.

"But anyways, this is Ino", he says pointing to the right. "And that's Lee", he says pointing to the left.

Lee was by far the weirdest looking one of all. He had an awful looking bowl cut, the kind of bowl cut that your mother would give you in elementary school, along with the bushiest eyebrows I'd ever seen on anyone. The girl to the right was no ordinary person either. She was clearly asian, but had blond hair and blue eyes. _Obviously colored contacts._

"Where's Temari?", Shikamaru asks.

"Your girlfriend couldn't make it", the blond asian says teasingly.

"She's not my girl friend", he hisses.

"If you say so", she says with a wink.

"So, Naruto, how did you and Shikamaru meet?", Lee asks curiously.

"We met while walking here"

"That's odd", Ino says. "It's not like Shikamaru to hold a conversation with a stranger"

The lazy teen and I look at each other, and he puts his hands in his pocket with a smirk.

"He caught my attention and still has it"

For some reason, what he said sounded flirtatious to me, but everyone else either didn't notice the change in tone of his voice, or didn't care.

"It's hard not to notice him", the chunky teen says before nudging me. "You must be a total heart throb right?"

_Ha! I wish!_ Girls didn't seem to like me that much, and I could understand why. I've been told by many people that I'm a total dork, despite the fact that I hung out with the "cool crowd" in Malibu. Yeah, a good amount of people back at home think I'm "funny" and "adorable", but for some reason, it's not enough to get me laid. It's getting to the point where I'm not sure if I should care anymore.

"Eh, a little bit", I say with a nervous smile.

"You have the prettiest blue eyes! And your tan is flawless!", Ino says with unexpected excitement.

I'm sure my face is red from the compliments, and Shikamaru looks like he's enjoying the entertainment.

"Oh uh, thanks", I say nervously.

"So, what do you guys want to do?", Shikamaru asks.

"Venders!", Bones shouts enthusiastically.

"The venders are the best part of the whole festival!", Lee says with a giant grin.

"Can't say no to shopping", the blond says as she pulls a few twenty dollar bills out of her purse.

"Venders it is then. We meet back at the giant tree at seven", the brunette says. "Sorry Naruto, guess you'll only be allowed to look"

I sigh, accepting the irritating situation. "Fine by me"

Chouji and Lee head towards some freaky fortune teller, and Ino ran off to some vender that had a bunch of glittery shirts and dresses.

"Is there a vender that catches your eye?"

I look around thoroughly, unsure of which vender I liked the most. Everything is so beautiful. The one that grabs my attention the most appears to have japanese inspired clothing and colorful jewelry.

"The one in the back with the kimonos and glowing lanterns"

"Alright. I like that one too", he says with a smile.

We walk to the vender, and a little old lady is sitting in a chair smiling at everyone who walks in.

"Hey, look at this", Shikamaru says as he lifts up a small ring.

The ring has a shiny silver band with wacky patterns carves inside with a dark purple gem that complimented it perfectly.

"That's cool! Can I hold it?"

He hands me the ring, and I slip it on my index finger. It fits perfectly.

"It fits your finger nicely. I know if I'd tried it on, it would've gotten stuck"

I smile, and hand it back to Shikamaru.

"You should buy it", I encourage him.

"For who?", he snorts.

"That girl Ino was talking about"

He scoffs before placing the ring back on the table. "Maybe"

I look across the entire glass table, and notice that every piece of jewelry is crafted beautifully. _No wonder this stuff is so expensive._

I pick up a necklace with a shiny blue crystal. The chain appears to be made of real gold, and compared to all the other necklaces, it stood out the most. To me, it looked like a man's necklace, so I didn't feel weird trying it on.

"How does it look?"

Shikamaru turns around and stares at the necklace intensely. "Looks great on you", he says with a smirk.

"Really?"

"I wouldn't lie to you", he says. "Go over to the mirror and see for yourself"

I do as he tells me, and find myself feeling the happiest I've felt since I got here.

"It looks wonderful. A handsome fellow like you should by it", the old lady persuades.

I laugh at the compliment, and softly stroke the gem, feeling its smooth, flawless texture.

"I really like it a lot...too bad I can't afford it"

The lady clicks her tongue and folds her arms. She looks like she's ready to negotiate with me.

"What if I dropped the price to one hundred dollars"

I look at the tag, realizing that the price of the necklace is about one hundred thirty.

"Sorry, but I spent a lot of my money already", I lie.

"The festival isn't over until Tuesday. If you find any way to get the extra cash, you can always come back", she says with a toothy grin.

"Awesome!"

I take the necklace off, and as soon as I place it back where I found it, a familiar, dark voice speaks up.

"I'll buy it"

I turn around, and the handsome devil himself is standing only a few feet away from me. He's wearing attire that's a little too formal to wear at a park. _Stupid rich people._

"Nice to see you again, Naruto"

My heart is beating rapidly, and I look over at Shikamaru, who can tell that I'm horribly nervous.

"How much does it cost"

The old lady looks at me with sorry eyes. I know that she pities me, and she narrows her beady little eyes at Itachi.

"Two hundred and ninety dollars"

_What the hell is she doing?!_

Itachi chuckles as he walks over to the necklace. He reads the price tag before looking back at the lady with a surprisingly sincere smile. "The price tag says one hundred thirty"

The little old lady picks up a pen, and shuffles her way over to the necklace. She scribbles on the original price and replaces it with new numbers. "Not anymore"

I couldn't believe there could be so much sass in someone so old and small, but Itachi seemed completely unfazed by it. In fact, it only made his smile bigger.

"No matter", he says calmly. "It may not be worth that price, but I'm going to purchase it anyways"

The old lady sighs, and takes the money Itachi hands to her. "Sorry kid", she whispers softly.

"It's fine", I say to cover up my disappointment. "He has the money. Not me"

I felt betrayed, even though he did have the right to buy the necklace. I didn't think we were friends, and I didn't think we were enemies either, but something told me that he bought the necklace I wanted on purpose. Why would a rich guy like him need it? He could probably buy twelve versace watches or a ten thousand dollar suit if he wanted, so why would he waste his money on some "low grade" piece of jewelry at a vender?

"How badly do you want this necklace"

He dangles it in front of me, and a lump begins to form in my throat. A few nosey people look our way, and Shikamaru is narrowing his eyes at us.

"I don't know", I say before biting my lip nervously.

He stands in front of me, unclips the chain, and leans in a bit to get the necklace on. His chest is in my face, and I feel like I'm going to faint. From the corner of my eye, I see Shikamaru walking up to us with an angry expression on his face.

"You can have it for today under one condition"

I finally have the guts to look him in the eyes, and I can tell he's having too much fun.

"You meet me in room 918 tomorrow at one o'clock"

It's hard for me to even open my mouth and reject the offer. I stand still, not saying anything, until Shikamaru jumps in.

"And what if he takes the necklace and doesn't meet you. Did you think of that?"

Itachi gives me a wry smile, and at this moment, I know I have to either hand him his necklace back or keep it and show up tomorrow. "Then I'll find him and I'll take it back"

* * *

**A/N: Quick update since it's April break and I finally have some time to write. The story will progress slowly, and Sasuke won't come in until chapter four or five. For now, I'm mainly focusing on Itachi and Naruto's relationship. **


	3. Chapter 3

He left with out saying anything else to me. I watched the old lady count the dollar bills silently, and a few people around me are whispering.

"How do you know him?"

The question was asked aggressively, so not replying wasn't an option.

"We're staying at the same hotel", I say dryly.

"And how did you meet him?"

I sigh, remembering the awkward introduction he'd given me. "We sat in a hot tub together, and he just started talking to me"

Shikamaru scoffed before holding the crystal on my necklace. "You're really going to go to his hotel room?"

My mouth went dry, and I cleared my throat awkwardly. "I-I guess"

He shakes his head at me the way a parent would shake their head at a child. "Awful idea. You met him once and he's asking you to go to his hotel room", he says critically. "What do you think he wants?"

It took those very few sentences to make me realize what I had gotten myself into. I hadn't really thought about what he'd wanted from me when he told me to meet him in his room.

"You think he's"

I didn't bother to finish the sentence.

"Gay", Shikamaru says a little too bluntly for my liking.

"B-but...why would you think that?"

He rolls his eyes and lets go of my necklace. "Did you see the way he was acting towards you? Are you that oblivious? Are you even legal yet?"

I sigh, unsure of how to fix the messy situation. "What should I do?"

The question comes out sounding more desperate than I had anticipated.

"You're going to put that necklace in an envelope and slip it underneath his door tomorrow"

I wait for him to continue, but he gave me a look that said he was done talking. "That's it?"

"Yup. That simple"

I frown, a little unhappy with having to give up the necklace. "But I like the necklace", I say with disappointment.

"Oh well", he says nonchalantly. "It's up to you to decide what's more important- your safety, or that necklace"

The rest of my day at central park was spent exploring all the other venders and eating fried food. Lee was nice enough to offer me some money for a taxi ride home. I said my goodbye's to them at around nine o'clock, and when I'd gotten back to the hotel, I immediately went to my room and locked the door. _Just return it tomorrow before work starts. _I nodded, assuring myself that it was the right thing to do. _There's no way in hell I'm going to pick a petty little necklace over my virginity!_

It was hard to contain all the shock from the bizarreness that occurred today. I had to tell someone- someone who I could feel comfortable telling, and ended up calling Kiba. We had the longest phone conversation ever- and I told him everything from meeting Shikamaru to taking a taxi ride home with a new necklace. Unlike I'd expected, he just laughed and told me everything would be okay. It was nice to have someone I could talk to about weird stuff like this. He didn't overreact, and instead cracked jokes about it, which made me feel a lot less nervous than I did before.

"Good night Kiba"

"Night bro"

And those were the last words I said before I fell asleep. If I hadn't called Kiba, I don't think I would have slept very well.

* * *

My shift starts at two in the afternoon, and usually ended around ten or eleven at night- So I woke up the next morning around twelvish. I brushed my teeth, showered, put on my work uniform, and tried my best to get my wild blond hair under control. As usual, I barely managed to get it to stay down and eventually gave up. It was a waste of effort.

I take the necklace from off the night stand, grab my wallet, and head out the door in search of an envelope. I had to go to the front desk and ask where the nearest drug store was so I could buy one, and surprisingly, saw Shikamaru working the register with a typical unimpressed look on his face.

"Hey! Weird how we're meeting each other again, isn't it?", I say with a smile.

"Yeah, kinda weird", he grumbles as he checks out my stuff. "I assuming you're following through with the plan"

He hands me the envelope and I nod my head. "I don't feel guilty at all"

"That's good. You shouldn't", he says as he opens the register and hands me my change. "And if you ever wanna talk, I'm at central almost everyday at five"

"Alright. I'll be sure to visit the park more often", I say with a grin.

We say goodbye, and I walk out of the store feeling even more confident. _I can do this. _I walk back to the hotel, which was only a block away, and open the envelope in the lobby. Gently, I place the necklace inside the envelope, lick the pasty tasting sealing paper, and seal it shut. _I can do this. _

I take the elevator all the way up to the ninth floor, and search for room 918. I walk down what seems to feel like an endless hallway, and finally find the room. _Slip it under and walk away. _I stare at the small crack under the door and look at the envelope. _Shit. What do I do if it doesn't fit?_ It had never occurred to me that the item wouldn't fit underneath the door, but after seeing the very little space it had to squeeze under the slit, I began to panic. _Just jam it underneath there if you have to! There's no way in hell you're keeping it! _

Impulsively, I thrust it underneath the door, but it struggled to slide all the way through because of the size of the crystal. _What if he's in there? _I hadn't really thought about it until I heard a door open from inside. That sound alone set my heartbeat on a rampage, and I started to push the envelope underneath even harder.

After a few seconds of making zero progress, the door finally opened, and the position I was in was painfully awkward. I had to get off my knees to greet him, and then had to watch him pick the envelope up from off the floor with suspicion.

"What's this?"

I stutter, failing to give a proper explanation. "W- well I uh"

He continues to stare at me as if I was speaking in a different language, and at that moment I was beginning to sweat uncontrollably.

"I just wanted t-to give you back the necklace", I say in defeat. "I can't keep it"

"Why not?", he asks curiously.

"W-well it's just...not in my interest to have it anymore"

He nods his head with a smile still somehow on his face. "You could have just knocked on the door"

I blush at the suggestion, and try to keep a straight face. "That's what I was trying to avoid"

_Shit! Naruto, why did you have to say that?!_

"Do I scare you that much?"

"No!", I say in defense. "It's just that...I didn't know what you wanted from me. You bought me a necklace, so I thought you wanted me to...do you a favor...to pay you back"

It was an awful thing to say, but at least I'd gotten my point across. I couldn't bare to look him in the eyes, and felt like evaporating into the air.

"I have the money to pay you back if you want it, which you probably do", I say as I pull out my wallet.

He laughs, and puts his hand up, rejecting the offer. "You have no idea how much I don't need you to pay me back"

_Right. He's probably a billionaire or something. God, why am I so stupid?!_

"I'm sorry for giving you the wrong impression. It was not my intention to make you uncomfortable, but I guess I took the wrong approach in trying to get to know you better"

_Is this seriously how he gets to know people better? By buying them things and expecting them to see him again?_

"But I haven't given up on you. I will make sure that we spend our time together"

_Time to file a restraining order. _

* * *

Ever since I'd talked to Itachi, I've been lagging a lot in my work ethic. Iruka yelled at me more than usual today, and all I could think of were all the creepy ways Itachi would try to get to "spend his time with me". _What if he knows my room number and somehow hacks the system so he can unlock my door. _

"Naruto, this is your last task for today", Iruka says sternly.

I sigh in relief. _Thank god, it's about time. _

"I need you to go into the kitchen and grab the chocolate cake. Deliver it to room nine-eighteen"

I happily walk into the kitchen, glad that the last task of the day was an easy one. _Wait a minute...room nine-eighteen is Itachi's room isn't it?_

"Fuck!", I shout before banging my hand on the counter. _This is going to be so awkward! What do I do?!_

I pick up the cake, put it on a cart, and take it to the ninth floor. I cautiously wheel the cart to the correct room number, and knock on the door twice. It takes a bit of time for him to open the door, but he eventually does.

"Come on in", he says with an irritatingly calm smile.

I slowly push the cart in, admiring how beautiful his suite is. _This is so much better than my room- but the people on the ninth floor get special treatment and the nicest rooms._

"Aren't you going to take your cake?", I ask impatiently.

"It's the fourteenth one I've ordered today"

I give him a confused look, baffled by how he could eat so much cake. "You ate fourteen cakes?"

He laughs, and my look of confusion turns into a look of aggravation. _What the hell is wrong with him?_

"No. I did not. I ate one slice, and everything else has been disposed of"

_Wow. I would kill to buy fourteen cakes, and he just throws them away like they're nothing. Does he know how hard the chefs work to make those? Rich bastard!_

"How can you just waste food like that!? Do you know how hard the chefs work to make those cakes?! There are starving children out there, and you're just gonna throw away food for no reason?"

"Actually, there is a reason", he says with an unfazed smile."I was hoping that eventually you would be my delivery guy"

I'm not sure what it was that made me snap, but it was definitely needed if I wanted to get my point across.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!", I yell. "What do you want from me? Why do you want to see me so badly? You don't want my money, and you don't want any favors, so tell me what it is that you want so I never have to see your face again!"

He gives me a displeased look, and I could tell I'd really pissed him off. I was beginning to worry about what would happen if I stayed any longer.

"You know what, I'm sorry. I shouldnt've said that. I'm just going to take my cart", I say nervously as I reach for the handles. "And leave"

"Neji", his voice booms.

The bathroom door opens, and a familiar looking hotel guest walks out. _It's the asshole who got angry at me for standing in his way on Friday. _I give him an angry glare, and I can tell he's a little shocked.

"Neji is a very dear friend of mine", he begins. "He's also my body guard and does whatever I tell him to do. So if I tell him to not let you escape, you're not going to escape"

"If you don't let me out of here, I-I!", I shout nervously.

"You'll what?", the cold body guard says to me. "If you tell me you're going to scream, I will make sure you never make another sound again"

By now I'm shaking, and fear is coursing through my veins. _Why? What did I do to deserve this?_

"Don't scare him", Itachi hisses at him. "Just get him to sit down in that chair"

The tall, terrifying man helps me to the chair, and I almost stumble twice from being so terrified.

"I'm sorry", Itachi says tenderly. "But please cooperate. It's not our intention to hurt you"

I shoot the body guard a dirty look, and he rolls his light grey eyes at me.

"Neji only hurts people when I tell him to", he says mockingly to his sassy body guard. "Right Neji?"

"Yes, sir", he says as he looks him dead in the eyes.

"Good. Now get him a bottle of water from the refrigerator", Itachi orders.

The obedient body guard sighs and walks off, leaving Itachi and I alone for a few seconds. "I'm going to give you a few minutes to cool off. I know you're scared, but I'm trying my best to show you that we're not going to hurt you. I guarantee that I will not move from this bed at all", he says as he calmly folds his hands on his stomach.

"J-just tell me what you want. I'm tired, and I want to go back to my room"

"Alright", he says growing just as tired of this game as I am. "I wanted to propose an offer to you"

My eyes widen, and I put my serious face on. "What kind of offer?"

Neji comes back with my water and places it on the desk next to me. "Neji, I need you to get me my brief case"

The tall pale man walks away, coming back with a shiny black case in his hands.

"Let me guess, there's money in that case", I say dryly.

"Well aren't you a smart cookie", Itachi says with a mocking smile.

"And what do I have to do to have that money?"

"Everything I say for the next five minutes", Itachi says as he looks at his watch. "Nothing sexual, of course", he adds.

Before I can even deny the offer, he cuts me off.

"Open the brief case, Neji"

The case is opened, and wads of cash are lined up in rows. I'd never seen so much money before in my life, and I almost began to believe I was hallucinating.

"Twelve thousand dollars in cash", he says with a smirk. "And it'll all be yours"

My jaw almost drops. "I-I don't even know what to say", I say in astonishment.

"However, there is a catch"

My brow furrows, and I take a sip of water. "If you complete the five minutes doing everything I say, you can only have the money if you agree to go on a blind date tomorrow with my brother"

"Huh?"

"A blind date. I'm sure you've heard of them before"

I nod my head. "Yes, I have"

"I will give you some time to think about it, Uzumaki"

My eyes widen in shock. "How do you know my last name?"

He chuckles darkly, and I narrow my eyes at him. "Have you been stalking me?", I ask coldly.

"No", he denies. "But I do know who your grandfather is"

I'm so embarrassed that I cover my face with my palms. "Who told you?"

He scoffs, as if it wasn't too hard to figure out. "Rich people have a way of getting information from people. All I had to do was bribe one of your co-workers and they told me in a heart beat. It's amazing what the common man will do for three hundred dollars"

I shook my head in disbelief. "I can't believe you just throw away money like it's nothing"

He laughs, and even his body guard looks like he's about to crack. "I do not believe that money is nothing. Nobody believes that. Money is everything, and I spend it wisely. It is the emblem of success, and can be used to bring someone great joy", he brags. "But I just have so much of it that I don't mind giving it away to get what I want. That's how I get my joy"

"You pretentious bastard. Success is more than just money, it's how hard you worked to earn that money", I growl. "And I bet your parents gave you all the money you have didn't they? Trust fund brat!"

"I would be lying if I said they didn't help me get this far, but most of the money I've earned I've earned on my own. You know nothing about what I do for a living", he says sounding slightly offended by my insult. "But enough about me and my beliefs. If you don't make up your mind, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave"

I stare at the money, then at Itachi, then at Neji, and then back at the stacks of dollar bills. "At least show me a picture of your brother"

He clicks his tongue and wags his finger at me. "I'd prefer for it to be a surprise"

* * *

**A/N: I am glad that people are liking the story! I always like constructive criticism, or just positive comments, so keep reviewing and what not. I hope you enjoyed the chapter :)**


	4. Chapter 4

"I don't like surprises", I say as I cross my arms. "Something's obviously up. I'm not stupid. You're not showing me a picture of him, and you're giving me a shit load of cash"

"I'm glad that you're not easily fooled, and have the capability to question people in situations like this. I can understand why you'd be so suspicious of me, but believe me when I say this", he says sternly. "My brother is a very difficult man. He needs someone who can be a breath of fresh air to him...and when I saw you, I knew that you'd be perfect for him"

I scoff. _Is this some type of joke?_ "You know nothing about me"

"Why do you think I was so eager to get to know you?"

I stare blankly at him before replying. "I honestly thought you were just a pervert"

He laughs, and it sounds less cynical than it usually does. "No, I'm not the perverted one. My brother on the other hand…"

I cut him off before he can continue. "You're setting me up on a date with a creep!"

"No, no, no, you've got it all wrong. He's not going to do anything creepy in public, but I must warn you, he's a little frisky when no one else is around. At least that's what I've heard"

"Oh, so is that why you're paying me so much to go on a date with him? Because he scares women", I stop to correct myself. "Because he scares men away?"

"He's actually quite popular with both genders, and does not care about male or female", he begins. "But he usually ends up in a relationship with some crazy women"

"So I'm here to break the cycle or something?"

"Hopefully", he says as he tucks a strand of hair behind his ear. " And I'm offering you a lot of money as a way to show you that I mean business. I do not want you to think I'm untrustworthy"

I bite the inside of my cheek before asking an important question. "What if he doesn't show up to the date?"

"Oh, he will", he says confidently. "And if you accept my offer, I will make sure you will too. I know your room number"

I scoff at the threat to make myself seem tougher. "First of all, I don't think that's necessaryl", I begin.

He raises a dark eyebrow at me, and his bodyguard looks at me as if I've just lost my mind. "And second of all, I'll get there somehow. You will not need to worry"

"So it's a yes?"

I swallow the thick saliva that was beginning to form in my mouth. "Yeah. I'm accepting your offer", I finally say.

"That's all I needed to here. The five minutes start now"

Adrenaline pushes through me, and I begin to feel the need to ask a few more questions. "Wait but-"

"I need you to do at least fifteen push-ups in twenty seconds"

"W-what?"

"Fifteen"

I slowly get out of my seat, and the bodyguard is giving me a look that's telling me to hurry up.

"If you take too long, I will tell you to stop and move on to the next demand"

I got on the floor and into pushup position. At first, I was on a roll, but I was extremely worried about my form, and started to get nervous. I also lost count because of this.

"Alright, close enough", he said sounding not too disappointed in me. "I need you to waltz with Neji"

The bodyguard and I exchange blank stares, but he eventually walks over to me. We lock hands, and I wait for some type of music or instruction.

"You will follow Neji's lead", he says before tapping the screen of his phone.

Strange music that I wasn't used to hearing begins to play, and I give Neji a look that says "I have no clue how to do this". But whether I was ready, or not, he made the first move and stepped on my foot while doing so. I_'ve never waltzed before in my life! How many teenagers actually know how to do this?_

I try my best to follow his lead, moving backwards when he moves backwards, and sideways when he moves sideways. As I expected to happen, my foot is stepped on again, and I try to look down to see just what the hell he was doing. _Maybe if I just keep my head down the whole time, I'll figure it out_. This time, I end up stepping on his foot and falling into his chest. The giant bastard did not look pleased._ Nope. Nevermind._

"Alright, enough's enough"

He looks like he's about to burst out into laughter, and I don't blame him. It must've been entertaining to watch a short, clumsy, awkward teenage boy waltz with someone who was much taller and twice his age.

"Terrible footwork", I hear the bodyguard say under his breath.

"Well if your feet weren't so damn big!", I say furiously.

The argument is thankfully cut off by Itachi. "Naruto", he says sharply to get my attention "I need you to name a few things you can cook"

Neji lets go of my hand, and I blush, not realizing that we were still in waltzing position. "Oh! I love cooking! I can cook ramen!", I say confidently.

I hear the bodyguard laugh as he walks away, and I begin to feel embarrassed for being so proud of knowing how to cook a basic, low-budget meal. "A-and eggs, and hamburgers, and bacon, and sometimes pancakes!", I say enthusiastically. "I usually burn things though", I say nervously.

_Why would you tell him that?!_ "But if I pay attention to what I'm doing, and follow instructions, I can manage to make what I cook look decent", I sputter out.

"Wow, definitely housewife material", Neji says in a tone that screams "sarcasm".

"I'm not that old, okay!", I yell at him in defense. "And what makes you think I want to be a housewife anyways?! I'm not a girl!"

"Stop bickering. Both of you", Itachi says impatiently.

"He can't dance, he can't cook", the rude body guard begins. "His push up form wasn't on point either"

"I do not want to hear you say another word Neji", Itachi demands. "Be quiet"

It was very clear that Itachi was angry, and it sure as hell shut Neji up.

"My apologies Naruto, it's not easy for some people to act their age"

I glance over at Neji, and can tell that Itachi's comment made him even more irritated. "It's fine"

Itachi looks at his watch, and seems a little surprised. _Is my time up already?_

"I need you to bend over-"

I blush out of anger at the request. "I don't think so! You just said that I didn't have to do anything se-"

"And touch your toes", he says impatiently.

"Oh", I say before scratching the back of my head.

He sighs, and I slowly bend over, trying my best to reach my feet. Surprisingly, I come pretty close to doing so.

"Good job", he says with a smirk. "Now, I need to know if you own a tuxedo"

God, this questions is so random.

I stand up straight and hesitate before answering. "I don't think so"

"What colors do you typically wear?"

I give him an odd look before I reply. "Orange and blue"

He glances down at his watch again. "How are you doing in school?"

Not a good question for me. "I'm doing...alright"

"Good to hear", he says with a smile. "What is your best subject"

"English I guess. It's pretty easy"

"Are you in any honors classes?"

I feel as if he was expecting me to say at least two, but I decided to be honest with him. "Only one", I murmur.

"And that class would be…"

"English"

He nods his head, and his watch beeps. "My time with you today has unfortunately come to an end", he says with a frown.

_Thank god! Now hand over the cash!_

"It was a pleasure getting to know you Naruto", he gets off the bed and hands me a card he took from out of his pocket. "I'm trusting that you will not have transportation issues"

"What's this?", I ask curiously.

"Read it"

My eyes scan the small print on the index card._ Oh. Just the time and location of the date._

"I hope you like coffee"

_I don't..._

"Eh", is the only reply I can give.

Neji escorts me out the door, and before I leave, he hands over the briefcase as well as the key.

"Don't forget to dress to impress", Itachi reminds me.

I snort mentally, before giving the desired reply. "I will"

* * *

As usual, I woke up late the next morning and rushed to get ready for work. My hair was twice as messy this morning, and I knew Iruka would scold me if I didn't fix it. So without much of a choice, I attempted to tame my spiky blond hair. After that, I put on my work clothes, making sure I to tuck in my shirt so Iruka wouldn't scold me like yesterday. The case.

I suddenly remembered that it wasn't hidden and the maids were coming in soon. Curiously, I walked over to it and opened it, even though my intention was to hide it. I pick up a stack of thick green paper and eyeball it carefully. _This feels so weird_. I begin to rub my other hand on it, just to know how it would feel. _Wait a minute...is that?_

At the bottom of the case I see a white envelope. _The necklace_? Sure enough, after pulling it out and opening it up, the necklace he'd bought for me was inside. He must really want me to keep it. I put the accessory on, and walk over to the mirror. _Wow, it really does look good on me!_

There's a soft knock on the door, and I stop admiring myself for a moment._ I guess they're early_. I slide the case underneath my bed, and rush to open the door. The mais greet me with bored faces, and I couldn't blame them. It's not like they had the best jobs in the world. "Room service", a woman says with a heavy spanish accent.

"Right", I say as with a smile as I invite them in. Time for me to leave. I make my way down to the lobby to start off my work day, reporting to my boss first thing as usual.

"Glad to see that you're on time"

There's mockery in his voice as usual, but I never let it bother me. "I try to be", I reply dryly.

"I see that you at least tried to do something with that unruly hair of yours, and you remembered to tuck in your shirt"

"Yes, I made sure to follow the dress code so you would not have to constantly remind me"

He smirks, and hands me a broom and dust pan. "Good. I see that you are slowly progressing", he says sounding slightly impressed. "Now sweep the floor in the kitchen. I've been getting complaints from the chefs"

I nod my head and take the cleaning items before heading off to the kitchen. He's right, this floor really needs to be swept. Luckily, breakfast was over, and dinner didn't start until around five, so all the chefs were gone. I begin to drag the broom across the floor, sweeping with very little enthusiasm._ This is so boring!_ I hear the door open, and look up unconsciously. I see a man a little older than me with blood red hair and mint green eyes holding the same cleaning utensils as I am. Apathy radiates from his presence. _Guess I'm not the only one stuck with this shitty job._

I watch him as he begins to sweep with the same level of enthusiasm as I had when I was sweeping. _Stop staring. Get back to work._

Taking my own advice, I begin to sweep again, lollygagging whenever I got bored. Which was often. I was barely getting any work done, and instead, started picking up random kitchen utensils and playing with them. I stop horsing around when I realize the red head is staring at me. _Shit, now he thinks I'm weird. Which is true. This isn't how I wanted him to find out._

"You must really hate this job, don't you?"

The question comes out dry, almost like a statement. "Yeah", I say nervously. "I really do. But it's good pay...for me at least"

He nods his head and continues to sweep the floor. "They should raise our wages", he complains. "We really should be earning more than ten dollars an hour"

Compared to what we could get for our jobs, I don't think ten dollars an hour is that bad. "That's understandable. Last week, when I first started working here, I worked five days for nine hours and got ninety dollars", I say as I continue to push the dirt from one spot to another. "Now I work only nine or ten hours and the same amount of days as last week...but this is the highest paying job I've ever had, so I don't have much to say"

He scoffs, and I'm beginning to get slightly irritated with his attitude. _He's so moody...I don't like my job either, but it's no reason to complain about it._

"You have a very positive attitude. You must not be from here"

I take the dust pan over to the trash can and poor dump out the contents. "I'm from California. We don't really stress about stuff"

I see a smirk appear on his face, and that's when I really started to get annoyed with him. "You wait. I guarantee after two weeks you'll turn into everyone else around here"

I snort at the bold statement. "Ha! There's no way in the world that would ever happen. I bleed west coast, that's how true I am to where I come from", I say proudly.

"You've got a lot of confidence for someone who's only been working here for a week. You wait and see, more and more guests will come to this hotel and you will get so sick of them", he begins. "School isn't even over yet for the bratty teens in Connecticut and upstate New York, but in around a week and a half, this hotel will be full of them"

"No big deal. It's not like I've never had to put up with bratty teens before", I say calmly.

"California brats are much different from east coast brats", he begins. "All the kids that venture up here are downright rude"

"I can handle it. Don't worry", I say to dismiss the issue.

"If you say so. Just watch out for this kid Sai, he comes here every year for the summer and he'd probably hit on you"

"Girls never hit on me", I grumble.

"Sai's not a girl", he says blandly.

_Oh._

We sweep in silence, and once we're sure the area is clean, we wipe the sweat off our foreheads in relief. "You know, we actually did a pretty good job"

I felt that the positive comment was needed. I at least wanted to say one uplifting thing before we parted, but unfortunately, he ignores the comment and walks out of the kitchen._ Can't get a smile out of everybody_. I follow him out so I can report back to Iruka.

* * *

My whole day was busy as usual. I had a ten minute lunch break, and then got right back to work. I was sure by now that every task I had been assigned to was one hundred percent complete.

"So you cleaned the bathroom sinks?"

"Yes, sir"

"And wiped down all the tables?"

"Yes sir"

"And finished mopping the tiles around the pool"

"Yes, sir"

He gives me a suspicious look before shooing me off. "Alright, I guess it's too late for me to give you any more tasks"

_You got that right._

I take the elevator up to my room. When I finally get inside, I couldn't feel anymore relieved._ Not home, but better than working for any longer._ I flop onto my bed, and feel all the stress flying away. _That guy I met in the kitchen sure was weird...now that I think about it...I don't even know his name….He kinda looks like a Jeffrey._

I roll over on my side, and continue to think as I slowly drift into a peaceful slumber._ What if Sasuke is ugly?_ I begin to imagine a much less attractive version of Itachi, one with a big nose and elf ears. _Highly unlikely...But what if he's a total jerk?_ Now that was possible. Rich people were often douchey and shallow. Or what if he thinks I'm boring?...nah...nobody ever thinks I'm boring. I can feel my body relaxing._ Maybe I should show up and just blow the whole thing off. It could avoid him asking me out on another date._

* * *

I had to call in sick the next morning in order to go on the date. Somehow, Iruka had decided to cut me some slack and told me to get well soon. It was awfully nice of him. _Maybe he's not so bad after all._

I tore up my whole closet searching for something nice to wear. It seemed all I had were basketball shorts, t-shirts, flip flops, sneakers, cargo shorts, sweatpants, and a few pairs of jeans._ When Itachi said dress nicely, did he mean that I had to wear a tuxedo? I look back down at the card before shaking my hand. No way. Who the hell shows up to a coffee shop in a tuxedo?...unless it's a really fancy coffee shop._

I put on my best pair of jeans, an orange polo shirt, and my newest pair of sneakers. _Not bad_. I manage to make my hair look pretty darn good, and cram the piles of clothes on the floor into a few drawers. _Can't be late._

I take the elevator downstairs, but head out the back door so Iruka won't see me. I sort of felt guilty lying to him, but it was for the best. I wanted to keep my twelve thousand dollars.

I walk across the busy street and call a cab. I slide into the seat, and find myself being next to the most attractive looking man I've ever seen. His jet black hair matched his obsidian eyes and stood in contrast to his pale skin. Everything about him was perfect, and even when he shot me a dirty look, he still looked attractive. Dirty looks were not supposed to be attractive. _What's his deal? I haven't done anything to him!_ No matter how attractive he was, I wasn't going to let him give me dirty looks with out giving one back to him, so I give him a sneer before pouting and looking out the window._ Now that I think about it he kind of looks like the guy I'm supposed to meet to day...I glance back over at him. He looks a little like Itachi too….could he be..._

"Where to?"

The cab drivers voice is raspy and foreign. It reminds me of the kind of cab driver voices you'd hear in movies.

"Fifth Avenue", I say sounding surprisingly rude and demanding.

He immediately takes off, and I feel like I made him really angry. _Maybe I should apologize? Or does he not care? I'm sure he's used to it. Wouldn't surprise me if almost everyone treated him this way._

"Hey...I know you might not care, but sorry for being so rude", I say loud enough for him to hopefully hear me.

To my surprise, he laughs at me, and I begin to feel flustered. "Thanks kid, but I couldn't care less how people in this city treat me. I've gotten used to it", he begins. "And the fact that you apologized makes me wonder if you're from this place. The people here aren't very modest"

I smile, feeling relieved that he was a pretty laid back guy. "I'm from California. It's very...different from here"

"I'm aware of that"

I can hear that he actually enjoys talking to me. I'm not sure why though, I'd expect him to think I'm some bratty kid that's not worth talking to like the guy next to me.

"You know, you look pretty nice today. Got a date or somethin'?"

I laugh nervously and scratch the back of my head, the guy next to me glances over at me, and looks away once I notice."Yeah, I usually never try to look this nice"

"An attractive young man like you doesn't have to try"

I wasn't sure if he was hitting on me. It sure didn't sound like it. I think he was just trying to be nice. As pathetic as it sounds, I think he's the nicest person I've met since I've arrived in this city.

"Thanks...I feel a lot less nervous now"

We stop at a red light, but it was a pretty rough stop. Our heads jolt forward, and I could tell the guy next to me was extremely pissed off.

"What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to get us killed?"

The cab driver doesn't reply, and I find the situation to be funny. I can't help but chuckle a bit. Can't handle a little thrill ride, can he?

"Why do you find this funny?", the man snapped at me.

"Will you relax", I snap back at him. "You gave me a dirty look when I got in the cab, and now you're yelling at me for a stupid reason"

"We could have gotten into an accident", he scolds me. "And I thought you were some bratty kid when you first got in here. I'm not very fond of children"

"I'm not a child", I say sternly. "You know damn well I don't look like one either"

He rolls his eyes at me. "Hn"

My head was ready to explode. I couldn't put up with this prick any longer. "Be nice back there. We're almost where you guys need to go", the driver warns us.

"Fine", I say bitterly.

The car stops, and both of us step out. Oddly, we end up walking to the same coffee shop. Hm. That's weird. What a coincidence. I look around the shop for anyone who could be my possible date. _None of these people match the description except..._I look around once more, and find that the bastard I'd met in the taxicab appeared to be looking for someone as well. _NO. NO. NO. NO. NO_. I look down at the card again, and realize that he is wearing exactly what the card says he would be wearing. _Forget this, I might as well go back to my room and book a new hotel to stay in and quit my job and change my name and-_

I notice that he's walking over towards me, and I'm sure we're thinking the same thing. "You're Naruto Uzumaki, aren't you?"

_Too late to escape now._

"Yes...yes I am"

He stares blankly at me, and I want to bolt out the door as fast as I can and never come back to this stupid shop again.

"Are you fucking kidding me", he mutters. "Why on earth would my brother set me up with someone who's no where near my age and the same gender as me"

"He told me you you liked both guys and girls"

"Yes, that's true", he hisses.

"Then what the hell is the problem?", I say growing frustrated with his attitude.

"I don't go on dates with men. I only date women"

"Then you're straight and I should probably go back to my hotel", I say dismissively.

"No. I don't think you listened carefully", he says coldly. "I don't date men"

I finally understood what he meant by that. "Oh", I say softly. I can feel a blush creeping on my face.

He sighs, and rubs his hand across his face. "But there's no point in going home. I don't ever want to ride in a taxi again"

I snort at how stuck up he sounded. "Then why didn't you take your hundred thousand dollar car here?", I ask mockingly.

He gives me an annoyed look. "It ran out of gas and I didn't want to be late"

I roll my eyes and decide to get in line. He walks with me, and I can tell he's less than pleased. _This date is going to be awful._

* * *

**A/N: Today was a very uneventful and kind of depressing day. I've been arguing with my family a lot, but thanks to that I've isolated myself from them and wrote this chapter. I'm very happy that people like the story. I will continue to update regularly. **

**Have a wonderful day *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+***


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning/ Authors Note: This may be bad news to some people, but there is somewhat of an age gap between Sasuke and Naruto, and because of this, I've also decided that there will ****_not _****be lemons in this story. At all. Maybe like a lime...but no lemons! That's why it's rated T.**

* * *

We waited in line silently for a while. Most of our time was spent looking at each other, and then looking away awkwardly when we caught each other staring. _He's such an asshole. Why does he have to be good looking? How long do I have to go on this date with him? I don't even think he wants to get to know me._

"What are you going to order?"

I give him a confused look before he speaking up again. "I need to know what you're getting so I can pay for it"

I pull out my wallet to show him I'm perfectly capable of paying for myself. "There's no need to"

He snorts before taking my wallet and putting it in his pocket. "There's no way I'm letting you pay"

As nice as he was trying to be, what he did really made me mad. If I wanted to pay, I wanted to pay.

"What, will it bruise your ego knowing your date doesn't _want_ or _need_ you to pay for things?"

He gives me a dirty look, and I clench my jaw in frustration. _He's just like his brother, only worse. _"I would like an ice tea", I tell him as calmly as possible.

He nods his head and places the order. The wait is a little long, and depressingly silent, but eventually we get our orders and sit down across from each other. _Are we even going to talk? Should I start the conversation, or does he have to? Would it hurt his ego if I did? _

"So how old are you?", he asks to break the ice.

I'm a terrible liar. Everyone who's ever witnessed me lie knows it, but I try my best to make my lie sound as real as possible.

"Almost twenty"

His nerve-racking glare almost made me want to confess my real age.

"I know you're lying, but that's okay. I'm warning you now that I will not be seeing you again because of our age difference"

_Rejected already? Can't really say I'm disappointed or surprised. _

"Fine by me"

I didn't even bother to keep up the act. He was certainly not the type of person to believe his instincts were wrong.

"But I'd still like to know your actual age"

I smirk, growing interested in his curiosity. "Why? Not like I'm seeing you again", I snort.

He takes a few sips of his putrid smelling black coffee. "Keep in mind, this is still a date. Might as well keep me entertained for a while"

"Alright", I say simply. "I'm fourteen"

His eyes widen, and he looks mortified. "I'm kidding", I say quickly in defense. "I just turned eighteen", I lie.

Surprisingly, he believes this one.

"Such an obnoxious age", he murmurs.

"Oh really?", I ask mockingly.

"You think you know everything because you're legally an adult, and apparently that makes you ten times smarter than you were before", he says in a dry, sarcastic tone. "And you still won't be old enough to drink"

"Thanks. Very uplifting", I say with little enthusiasm. "So how old are you wise man?", I ask sarcastically.

"Twenty-five", he says with a smirk.

"Old", I say dryly.

"Young enough to go to clubs"

I roll my eyes. "I didn't know people like you did such laid back activities", I say mockingly. "But you've got five years left until you're too old to do even that"

The comment must've hit a nerve or something. I could tell by how he glared at me after I said it.

"Tell me about your job and how you met my brother", he demands.

I laugh nervously, after biting my lip. "My job is a pain in the ass"

He shakes his head at me. "I don't approve of that language"

"What, I can't say ass?"

I was only making him even more agitated, and as entertaining as I found it to be, I was worried that he would take his cup of coffee and leave me. "Sorry. If it makes you that upset I will try my best not to swear"

He smirks, and I can feel my patience level dropping. _Smug bastard. _

"But anyways, I met your brother in a hot tub. He just started talking to me randomly, and I didn't want to be rude so I held the conversation"

"Hn. Sounds just like him", he says before taking a sip of his coffee. "I bet he scared the shit out of you, didn't he?"

"Ha! Not at all", I say dismissively.

"I've been told that he's scary. Almost as scary as I am"

There's a sinister tone in his voice that I find hard to ignore. "You seem like a total softy", I say to piss him off.

He chuckles, which only makes me even more suspicious of him. That laugh did not sound very friendly at all.

"You'd be the first person to ever tell me that", he says darkly. "If anything, I'd say it's you that looks like a softy"

He was right. I couldn't blame him for thinking so, people often compared me to a girl. Not only because of my physical appearance, but because of my attitude. I pout too much and I but my lip when I think. Terrible little quirks that I wish I could get rid of.

"Not true", I say defensively.

"With a wig, you could probably pass as a gi-"

"Shut up", I snap before he could make any more rude comments about me. "I'm already aware of the fact that I look like a girl"

"Then you have no business calling anyone a softy"

I pick up my tea and drink it without making eye contact with him. "Whatever"

He looks at his watch, and I begin to wonder if I'm boring him. _I probably am….or maybe not? I can't tell. He's so hard to read. _

"I know your grandfather, Mr. Uzumaki", he says with a smirk.

"W-what? Y-you do?"

_He's lying. He has to be. _

"Yes, your brother told me all about him, and I've met him before. I'm a big fan of his novels"

_Pervert. This man's a total fucking pervert._

"I've been considering making one of his books into a movie. All I'll have to do is ask, and I'm sure he'd say yes"

After he said that, I desperately wanted to get up and run away, but part of me wanted more answers.

"You're...a director?"

"Yes. Does Sasuke _Uchiha_ ring a bell?"

My jaw almost dropped, and I couldn't believe how blind I was to all of this. _No wonder he's so rich! He's directed so many academy award winning movies and his parents own the hotel I'm staying in!_

"I...You!? I had no idea!"

I was at a loss for words. What was there to say to someone who had so much wealth and power?

"And of course, it would only make sense for you to not know this. I rarely tell people my name, and my face isn't all over magazines and newspapers. Very few people notice me in public"

"A-and you're okay with that? You do all this amazing work, and that doesn't bother you?"

He chuckles, as if the question was petty and unthoughtful. "I like my privacy. I don't want people knowing where I am or where I live"

I nodded my head. "That makes sense"

"Besides, I don't do it for the praise and glory. I do it because it's what I like to do"

For some reason, what he said made me smile. In a way, I hoped to be like him when I was older. He's successful and has a job he actually enjoys doing.

"So what made you want to become a director?", I ask out of curiosity.

"I've never liked taking orders from people", he admits. "Even when I was your age, I always found a way to make myself some type of leader. Whether I was captain of the swim team or class president, I always liked the feeling of being in charge"

"Like a dictator", I say jokingly.

"Almost", he says with a wry smile.

His creepy smile sent shivers down my spine, and made me question the type of person he was. _Just who is he?_

"But enough about me, tell me about yourself", he advises. "I'd like to know about your life in California"

"It's great", I say proudly. "I love my home"

"What part of California are you from?"

"Malibu", I reply. "I live in a small house close to the shore"

"Hn"

_Why does he do that? It's so weird._

"I've been planning on buying a beach house down there. It's a very nice place to live"

"It's perfect", I reply. I couldn't help but smile thinking about my home and my friends.

"I wouldn't say perfect…", he says carefully. "But I guess I'm just bias. I've lived in New York City all my life and can't think of any place better than it"

_That explains so much. No wonder he was being so rude on the taxi ride here. _

"No offense, but I don't understand how anyone can find this City appealing", I say while crossing my arms.

"None taken. It's hard to get offended when you've grown up around here", he begins. "And I doubt you've even gone anywhere besides Central park. That's probably why you're so miserable"

I narrow my eyes at him. _Sadly, he's right. _

"How about you show me around?", I ask sarcastically.

He snorts. "Like I said. You're too young for me"

"I'm eighteen", I remind him.

"There's a seven year difference"

"But I'm legal?"

_Why am I lying? Do I really care if I see him again or not? I have my money, so what more could I want?...And what the hell am I going to do with all this cash?!_

"Doesn't matter", he says dismissively.

"So...I guess I'm being rejected. Oh well", I say casually with a playful smile.

"At least I can say I like you a lot more than I did when we were in the limo together", he says after letting out a sigh.

"Yeah", I murmur. "You're not so bad after all either"

He puts my wallet on the table and smirks. "Oh and just so you know", he begins. "When a rich man says he wants to pay for the date, let him pay"

I roll my eyes, unimpressed by how egotistical he was being. "I'll remember that the next time I go on a date with a millionaire"

"Billionaire", he grumbles.

My eyes widen, and he looks as if he regrets admitting that.

"Don't look at me like that", he demands. "It's weird"

I stare at my wallet, and can't help but imagine what it would be like if it was crammed with wads of hundred dollar bills like his probably is.

"Sorry", I say sincerely. "I'm just extremely amazed right now"

He sighs before taking a sip of his drink. "Typical"


	6. Chapter 6

When I left the coffee shop, blond hair and blue eyes still floated round in my mind. The thought of Naruto stuck with me from the taxi ride to my job, and all the way to my director's chair. It made me angry that someone I had no desire to see again wouldn't let me have my peace of mind.

I sat impatiently in my not so comfortable chair, watching the scene before me, barely being able to stand the unimpressive acting before me.

_This is the worst sex scene I've ever had to watch in my life. To make this even more painful, I'm not sitting behind a TV screen. I have a front row seat to a disastrous, unexciting, unconvincing...I don't even know what to call this…_

"Cut!", I yell urgently into the microphone.

The two "lovers" get off of each other, and I can tell they both look irritated. I couldn't blame them. If I had to go through the same scene so many times, I would be angry too.

"I think we should all take a break"

The two actors sigh, and my assistant looks at me with uncertainty. I begin to stare off into space, wondering how the hell I was going to get through the day.

"Sasuke, are you alright?", she whispers.

I snap out of my daydream and face the doe eyed brunette. Her face showed general concern, and I tried my best to play things off as if nothing was wrong.

"I'm fine", I say dismissively.

She doesn't buy my bullshit. "You seem a bit out of it", she says softly.

"Shizune, there's no need to worry about me. Everything is fine, It's just been a long day"

She nods her head, showing complete understanding. "Yes, I agree. It seems like the actors are struggling to convey their passion for each other", she whispers.

I scoff. "Struggling is an understatement", I say impatiently. "I've seen porn with better acting than this"

I hadn't really thought about what I'd said, and the look of horror on her face told me that I had said something a little too blunt...again. It's just in my nature to be direct about my opinion.

"Sasuke!", she raises her voice.

"I'm telling it like it is. They really need to give it their all", I say demandingly. "This scene needs to be perfect, and we're not going to stop until it reaches my expectations"

She nods her head softly, before speaking again. "I think you're stressed out. Is there anything I can get you?"

Shizune's the best assistant I've ever had. She's smart, loyal, obedient, and never screws up any of my orders.

"A bottle of water would be nice", I murmur.

She walks away without saying anything, and everyone around me is either conversing with one another, arguing with one another, or scarfing their faces at the snack table. _I love this job, but I hate it too. _

I look over at the bed the actors were "making love" in, slowly getting angrier as I thought about how horrible things were going. _They have no passion for each other whatsoever. He's not holding her like he loves her, and she's making the fakest sex noises I've ever heard. How in the world are we ever going to get through this scene?_

I begin to envision the way the scene is supposed to look, but somehow I end up switching the female actor with an obnoxious, short, blond man. _I wonder if he's ever had sex before. _Perverted thoughts creep into my mind, and my imagination begins to run wild. _Knowing him, he's probably extremely loud...and every inch of his skin must be flawless. _I see him lying on the bed wearing absolutely nothing with his legs spread apart. _His eyes are so blue and wide...I bet they practically bulge out of his head when he's getting penetra-_

"Here's your water, sir", she says as she holds out the refreshment.

"Thank you"

I take a few sips and hand it back to her. She places it on the table, and looks back at me.

"Is there anything else I can get you?"

I swat my hand at her, signaling her to go away. "Not now, you should go check on the actors and see if they're okay"

I didn't really need her to do that, but I wasn't in the mood for her to be around. I needed to be left alone.

"I will report back to you as soon as possible", she says as she walks away.

I can't help but stare at her rear end as she makes her way to the two actors. _Naruto's butt is rounder and bigger than that...and he's a boy. _

I watch her consult with the actors, whose frustrations are clearly shown as they take their anger out on her. _Poor girl, she's only doing her job...and I have another three hours before I can send everyone home. _

* * *

The day ended on a sour note. We'd gotten through the sex scene, but the actors started to get moody, the camera men started slacking, and even Shizune was getting cranky. She rarely ever got cranky.

"Cut!", I shout into the microphone.

I can see everyone sigh in relief, which I found to be a total pain in the ass. _If anyone should be relieved it's me. I've been yelling into a microphone for the past seven hours._

"We'll finish this up tomorrow. I want you all to get some rest"

I get out of my chair, grab my things, and head out the door in under ten minutes, but when I get outside, I see an unfortunately familiar face.

_What the hell is she doing here? I thought she never wanted to see me again. Why would she be waiting outside of the place I work at?_

"Sasuke", she says in her typical monotone voice.

"What a surprise", I say unenthusiastically.

"Yeah, I know", she says dryly. "I was in the recording studio, and then I heard you were back in Manhattan", she begins. "I called your brother just to see if it was true"

"And I'm guessing he said too much considering the fact that you know where I work and when my shift ends"

She narrows her eyes at me, and keeps a straight face. "What? I can't say hi to my ex boyfriend?"

Her voice still lacks emotion, and I was beginning to wonder what her motives were. "We didn't end on the nicest terms", I say impatiently. "We haven't talked in over a year either...I'm just baffled that you would even want to have a face to face conversation with me"

"I've been wanting to talk to you for a while", she murmurs.

Her honey brown eyes show a strange kind of genuineness, and her purple hair looks an odd shade of indigo in the moonlight. _Nothing has changed about her at all. She's still drop dead beautiful, and is still the same mystery I failed to solve even when we were together._

"You should go home", I say dismissively.

The words don't seem to affect her. In fact, I'm sure they went in one ear and out the other.

"Don't act like you don't want to talk to me"

There was an unexpected change of voice that I wasn't expecting from her. It wasn't like her to show emotions, let alone, raise her voice.

"I've had a long day. I'm tired", I say dryly.

"There's a bar right across the street. Don't you want to at least end the day with a drink?"

She knew my weakness. It was hard for me to say no to a drink. Back when we were together, we'd bond by staying at a bar until it was dangerously late.

"I shouldn't be drinking...but after the day I've had", I say as I stare across the street and at the small, but clearly popular, bar. " I wouldn't mind a drink or two"

"I'll pay for both of us if you want. My treat"

I snort. "Have you really forgotten?"

She raises a dark eyebrow at me. "I thought you'd grown out of that 'I'm so rich that I don't want you paying for me' phase", she says mockingly. "But I guess it's just become a part of who you are"

I ignore the obnoxious comment, and I swear I saw something that resembled a smile. It was one of the most captivating things I'd seen all day. I could barely make her smile when we were together.

"Let's go", I say impatiently.

* * *

"So what have you been up to?", she asks without much curiosity.

"The usual. Sitting in a chair all day, winning awards, and yelling through my microphone", I say without much concern. "My life hasn't changed much"

"Neither has mine", she says lifelessy.

"That's not true and you know it", I object. "I heard your band's song on the radio this morning"

"So what?", she grumbles.

"What do you mean, so what?", I ask growing impatient with her care-free attitude. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

She pulls her shades down to the tip of her nose, looking at me as if I've lost my mind. "Do you know how upset I was when I found out it had reached the billboard top one hundred?", she says darkly. "The last thing I want to happen is for me to become a mainstream artist. I didn't start Paper Planes to become famous and you know that"

I roll my eyes, and take another sip of my drink. "I knew your band would become popular, but you wouldn't listen to me", I begin. "You started as an indie rock band that played gigs in bars and clubs in the city"

She nods her head, clearly remembering the days when she'd play in small areas with little to worry about.

"You got discovered, you got signed, you started recording your songs professionally...did you really think you were going to stay underground musicians forever?", I ask as if she'd lost some common sense.

"It was stupid of me to think so, I know", she says sounding annoyed with what I'd just said. "And I regretted signing the contract the day after, but I guess I'm going to have to deal with hearing our song on the radio for the next week or two", she grumbles "And I can't back out of recording songs either. My album is dropping in three weeks", she says unenthusiastically.

"If I were you I'd be happy regardless of how famous you get. You're going to be getting a lot of money if they play your song on the radio ten or twenty times a day"

"It's not about the money", she says critically. "I do this because it's what I love to do"

I admired that we both did our jobs because it was what we enjoyed doing, but her situation is not the same as mine. "Well, let's face it", I begin. "If you hadn't gotten signed, you wouldn't have a place to live. You've got to pay the bills somehow"

She sighs apathetically, which tells me that I said something truthful that pissed her off.

She doesn't look in my direction, but I know exactly what she's thinking. "You're right"

I smirk at the two words I love hearing. _You're right._

It took a lot of arguing to get her to say those words, and the arguing would usually end with me sleeping on the sofa. But now that we're not together, and I've actually said thing that is one hundred percent true, she has to acknowledge the fact that I'm correct.

"So don't get too down on yourself. You know how songs on the radio are. Everyone gets sick of hearing them eventually"

She snorts. "Yeah. Eventually"

We finish our drinks, but end up ordering more. At first, I was sure we were going to leave in the next hour, but we just kept talking and talking to each other as if we'd never broken up and we were best friends like we were in High School. We ended up telling each other crazy stories, and I think I made her laugh once or twice...I think. My memory is getting kind of blurry.

"I can't believe that happened to you", I say as I try to hold back a laugh.

"Don't you dare laugh at me. My siblings are so embarrassing", she groans. "Speaking of siblings, how's Itachi"

His name being mentioned automatically killed my good mood. "He set me up on a blind date today"

If Konan could ever show any emotion, I'm sure she'd have an expression of shock on her face right now. "And you went along with it?"

I let out a sigh before giving my explanation. "It sounded like a good idea to me, he usually has my best interest...but when I got to the coffee shop and saw who he set me up with...I felt like a total idiot for trusting him"

She snorts at me, and I know she must be finding this amusing. "Why, was she ugly?"

"He", I correct her. "And he was no where near ugly. He's actually really beautiful"

The words accidentally slipped out of my mouth, and I wasn't quite sure why I would tell her this. I don't think I ever told her I also like men. I'm sure she thought I was straight the whole time we were dating.

"Nice to know...Didn't know you were-"

I cut her off before she can continue. "I'm not. I swear on my life", I say in denial. "But that doesn't mean I can't acknowledge a good looking man when I see one", I say defensively. "Girls call each other pretty all the time"

She nods her head, and I assume she believes me. "So how did the date go?"

"It actually wasn't that bad...but he tried to convince me he was twenty one", I say as if the entire situation was humorous. "He barely looks eighteen"

"So your brother must be trying to get you arrested", she jokes.

"Maybe. But I wasn't falling for it. If he lied to me about his age the first time, why should I trust him the second time?"

She nods her head in agreement. "So you would you actually see him again if he was anywhere near your age?"

I take the last few sips of my beer before answering. "No"

I'd never thought about if I would actually see him again if the age gap didn't exist, but to keep me of her radar, I just said no. _Would I actually see him again if he was closer to my age? He wasn't a bad guy at all...not my type, but...Well I would definitely have sex with him if he was at least twenty._

"I'm a heterosexual male Konan. I have no interest in him whatsoever"

My phone begins to ring, and I see the call is from my brother. _Dammit, what does he want?_

I hit the talk button, and try my best to be friendly with him.

"_Hello Sasuke, how are you?"_

I hesitate before answering. "I am well. Is there anything you need from me", I say to cut to the chase.

"_What, I can't have a heart to heart conversation with my brother on how his date went?"_

I roll my eyes, trying my best to stay patient. "It went fine", I say dryly. "But I'm busy right now, can I call you later?"

"_Are you at a bar or a club right now?"_

"That is not your concern"

"_I thought you were trying to stay away from alcohol. You're speech sounds a little slurred", _he says skeptically.

"Okay fine", I give in. "I _am _at a bar, and I _was_ drinking, but I'm going home now. So please get off my ass"

Konan's boredly looking at her drink, and I knew I had to hang up as soon as possible.

"_Oh, you know I'm just worried about you. Foolish little brother"_

"Great. You can stop worrying now because everything is okay and I'm going back to my apartment", I say impatiently.

"_Well, instead of going home, how about you stop by my suite. We can chat a bit about the date, and you're welcome to spend the night"_

Konan begins to put her things in her purse, and I begin to feel guilty.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to go home"

"_We haven't seen each other face to face in a while", he begins. "And you'd rather spend the night alone in your apartment than with me?"_

He was trying to guilt trip me, and sadly, it was working. "Who said anything about me spending the night alone?"

Konan stops packing her things, and looks at me. I almost forgot that she could still hear me.

"_I know you very well Sasuke, you seem to forget that. I know you wouldn't have a one night stand when you have work the next day", he begins. "But when you finally come to your senses, you know my room number"_

He begins to chuckle, and I was ready to throw my phone across the room.

"Goodbye Itachi", I hiss.

"_Be safe"_

I hit the end button, and I can tell by the frown on Konan's face that she wanted some answers.

"I wasn't planning on taking you home, if that's what you're wondering", I say to clear the awkward situation. "I just wanted my brother to think I was busy tonight"

She snorts. "Good to know"

* * *

**A/N: So I switched the point of view, which I will be doing every four or five chapters. I think it'll be quite obvious when the change occurs, and it won't be so unexpected either, so there's no point in me putting at the top of the page "Sasuke's p.o.v" or "Naruto's p.o.v" because you will probably figure it out in less than a few seconds. **

**On a side note, I'd like to remind everyone of Naruto's real age and Sasuke's age , just so no one forgets. **

**Naruto: 16 turning 17**

**Sasuke: 25 turning 26**

**Hope you liked the chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

As pathetic as I felt doing so, I ended up visiting Itachi's room. He kindly opened the door with a smug smile on his face that I wanted to smack off. I hate how well he knows me.

"I see you decided to come and stay the night", he says happily.

I roll my eyes and enter his suite. As I suspected, it was in tip top shape without a single piece of clothing on the floor. The beds were made, and there was a faint scent of cinnamon and vanilla.

"You guilt tripped me into this", I say defensively. "You were right when you said I hadn't seen you in a while"

He ignores me and widens his deceptive smile. "I'm just glad you came. Would you like anything to drink?"

I shake my head. "No thank you"

He pulls out a chair, and I knew what was to come. "Have a seat. I'd like to talk about today"

I scrunch my nose and ignore the gesture he was giving me to sit down. Instead, I throw myself onto a nice, firm mattress.

"So it didn't go well?"

I close my eyes, my head beginning to throb from drinking a little too much. "It wasn't bad at all"

"Would you see him again?"

There was no need to hesitate. "No"

He sits down on the bed next to me with a look of worry on his face. "Why not?"

_Stop questioning it. No means no. _

"He's not my type"

"But it was a good date? I don't understand why you wouldn't want to see him again"

"He is not the one for me and I do not wish to see him again. That's final", I state firmly.

He sighs before putting his hand on my face. I swat it away and he frowns.

"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke, what am I going to do with you?", he asks playfully.

"Nothing", I hiss.

"You're so complicated", he begins. "You go on a date with a very, and I mean _very_, attractive young man, and you actually like it...but yet you still reject him"

I bite my tongue to prevent the conversation from going on any longer.

"Okay, I see you don't want to talk about this", he says impatiently. "You're clearly intoxicated"

"I'm not that drunk", I murmur.

"Yeah", he says before getting off my bed and sliding into his. "Of course you're not"

And after that, neither of us said a word to each other.

* * *

I woke up with a slight headache, most likely from the amount of alcohol I drank last night. I don't really remember how I got into Itachi's hotel, but I hope it wasn't because I drunk called him to pick me up from the bar. That would be embarrassing.

"I see you're awake", he says softly. "You sure sleep a lot"

I slowly sit up and look over at the alarm clock on the glossy wooden night stand. _God, it's so late...I can't believe I slept for so long. _

"Yeah...and I've got so much stuff I want to get done", I say before stretching out my tight muscles.

"Like what?", he asks flatly.

"Well first of all, I wanted to buy a new car"

My brother snorts. "As if the one's you have aren't nice enough"

I crawl my way out of bed and take off my shirt. "I hope you have clothes that will fit me. I'm sure we're about the same size"

He tosses me a casual, but expensive looking, shirt and a pair of jeans. "Lunch is going to stop being served in twenty minutes. If you're really hungry I suggest you go downstairs now"

"Not hungry", I retort dryly.

I sloppily take off my pants, and slip into my new pair of jeans.

"You know, Naruto and his grandfather are only two floors below us"

"Hn. Interesting", I say as I button up my dress shirt. "I've actually been planning on meeting Jiraiya again"

"Good luck with that, he's a very busy man"

I snort. "Says who? He's an author, not a doctor or a lawyer", I say pretentiously.

"He's no ordinary author and you know that. He's very well known, and must have a lot on his agenda. Possibly more than you"

I raise my eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"I know his room number, would you like to see if he's in there?"

There's an obnoxious "you're wrong" tone in his voice, and I wasn't going to put up with it for any longer. "Yes, I would like to pay him a visit"

"Let's go then"

I finish getting dressed and brush my teeth. We walk out the door and take the elevator to the seventh floor. When we arrive at his door I knock three times and wait patiently.

"Told you he wouldn't be in there", my brother brags.

"Relax. He might be sleeping, maybe I should knock louder"

"Why would he be sleeping? It's the middle of the day", my brother asks as if the idea was preposterous.

I ignore him, and knock on the door even louder.

"Do you not have any manners?", my brother asks impatiently.

After a few seconds the door squeaks open, but not all the way. I am faced with bright blond hair and one tired blue eye through the crack of the open door.

"It's nice to see you again, Naruto", Itachi says with a grin that was too enthusiastic for one in the afternoon.

"What do you want", he grumbles.

"We would like to see your grandfather", I reply.

"He's not here"

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?", Itachi asks.

"Taking the day off. I'm not feeling well"

_He's lying. _

"You sound fine to me", I say as if I know he is being dishonest.

"Well I'm not, and I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Come back again some other time"

A loud, monsterous snore grabs my attention, and the blond looks as if he'd just been caught stealing.

"I see you have a visitor", Itachi says tauntingly.

The blond stutters while trying to find an excuse. "He uh...that's not who you think it is"

"Oh really, then who is it?", I begin to interrogate.

"_Naruto, is somebody at the door?"_

"May we come in?", Itachi asks. "We won't be staying for long"

The door fully opens, giving my brother and I a view of a messy suite and a shirtless, tan blond with unkempt hair.

"This is sort of the reason why I didn't want you to come in", he says sheepishly.

"The cleanliness of your hotel room is the least of my concern"

He turns away and walks over to his bed, and I watch the toned, defines muscles on his back move as he does so. Itachi catches me in the moment, and he gives me a smug look. I respond with an eye roll.

"I didn't tell you to open the door you little turd", the white haired old man grumbles as he slowly begins to wake up.

"I think you'd thank me for this", the blond replies.

When the old man finally wakes up, his jaw almost drops. "Sasuke?"

"Yes, I came to discuss business with you"

The old man looks around, and then down at his naked chest. "I...just wish you came at a better time", he says nervously.

"If you'd like, we'll wait outside while you and your son get dressed"

"That would be very nice", the old man says after letting out a nervous laugh. "Hey squirt, when you're done getting dressed, would you mind going in the lobby. I'd like for this to be a private conversation"

The blond lets out an annoyed sigh. "Whatever", he retorts dryly.

We leave the room, and our eyes meet for a split second. _He's a nice kid...I just can't see myself being with him. He's too young and innocent. I can't take that away from him._

While waiting outside, my brother sparks a conversation.

"I saw the way you were looking at him", he says smugly. "You can't deny that you want to see him again"

"I do, but I'm not going to as I've said many times before", I say impatiently.

"What can I do to convince you to go on another date with him?"

"You can't", I say dryly. "My mind has already been made"

He shakes his head at me. "Unbelievable", he murmurs. "I just hope you know that giving Naruto a chance might just give you a change of heart. I'm tired of you choosing people who are absolutely insane"

"Konan was not insane", I snap.

"She almost killed your snake during an argument", Itachi justifies. "The knife was right at its throat"

Okay, so Konan was crazy, and there's no doubt in my mind that she still is. I would still rather be with her than some eighteen year old boy.

"The snake was old and it died two days after anyways", I murmur.

He lets out a disappointed sigh. "I don't understand you, I really don't"

The door opens again, and the blond walks out looking rather pissed off. Jiraiya greets us with a smile and welcomes us back inside.

"Sorry 'bout this", he says with a warm smile. "Feel free to take a seat anywhere you'd like"

We both end up sitting on a comfortable sofa, listening to the old man babble on and on without giving us a single chance to bring up the main reason we'd came in the first place. Surprisingly, all he talked about was his grandson.

"I'm sorry about how he treated you two, I don't know why he'd be so rude to you two like this, but you know how teenagers are, they're always so moody", he rambles. "I raised him better just so you know. He's actually a very nice young man with a big heart", he says proudly. "But boy, is he trouble. Can't sit still if his life depended on it and doesn't know when to close his mouth sometimes. He's not the best decision maker either"

Itachi and I exchange interested looks, and before I can open my mouth, he continues to go on.

"He used to goof around in school a lot, but I made sure to set him straight. The only concern I have about him now is that he doesn't have a girlfriend. You'd think a kid as good looking as him would do well with the ladies, but he's a little awkward and quirky. I think that's the biggest issue"

"Did you ever come to the conclusion that he might not like girls?", my brother questions.

There's an uncomfortable silence before he breaks out into laughter. "Nah, my grandson is as straight as a pencil", he informs us. "But enough about my bratty, hormonal, sixteen year old grandson, what was the purpose for you two coming here?"

"Sixteen?", I repeat as if I'd heard him wrong. "He's only sixteen?"

"What, you really thought he was older?"

I shoot my brother an angry glare, and I can tell he's a bit uncomfortable himself.

"What, is there...an issue I don't know about?"

"No. No issue at all", I say calmly.

But on the inside I was very pissed off. I felt betrayed and slightly humiliated. Itachi was surely going to pay for setting me up with a minor.

"I'd came here to discuss a huge opportunity that you have", I begin. "As you know, I am a fan of your books, and I would love to see one turned into a movie"

"You...want one of my books on the big screen?!", he nearly shouts.

"Yes, I think it would be a big hit that would raise enough controversy to give you even more publicity", I begin. "And imagine how much money you'd make if the movie was a huge success"

The overly excited pervert jumps out of his seat.

"I can't believe this! One of the best directors in Hollywood wants to turn one of my novels into a film!"

I nod my head with a smirk on my face. "I see a bright future for you Jiraiya. I really do"

* * *

**A/N: A not so eventful chapter, but it's still slightly relevant to the story line. Next update will most likely be taken from Naruto's perspective. Please keep reading and reviewing!**


	8. Chapter 8

Ever since his talk with the Uchiha brothers, Jiraiya had been nothing but excited, and of course, I was pretty damn excited as well. We'd be rich if the movie did well in the box office, and college debt wouldn't even exist for me.

"I'm celebrating with a few drinks tonight", he says as he sprays himself with a musky, vanilla scented calogne. "I plan to be gone for a few days"

I roll my eyes. "You think I actually expected you to come back the next day?", I ask dryly. "Do you not realize how used to this I am? You don't even have to tell me you'll be gone for a few days. I know that everytime you walk out of the door"

I hadn't realized the harshness of the statement until there was an uncomfortable silence that screamed 'You should've said nothing'.

"Don't do anything illegal", he grumbles before grabbing his car keys and leaving the room.

The door slams shut, and the noise is almost as upsetting as the loneliness of the empty hotel room. As much as I'd grown used to being left behind while my grandfather left to do things he was too ashamed to admit, I disliked the feeling of being alone. _Might as well do what I always do. _I turned on the television and stared at the screen, barely entertained by the pointless reality tv show. _It's going to be a long few days. _

There's an eager knock on the door, and my heart jumps a bit in surprise. _I wonder who it could be?_ I lazily get off of the sofa and open the door without much caution. I find myself looking into cold, angry eyes the color of charcoal.

"Do you mind if I have a word with you?"

I bite my lip anxiously before responding. "Sure. Come on it"

Sadly, the room was still a mess, and he shook his head with disapproval. I felt the need to explain why the room was still a catastrophe. "We didn't want to leave the room when room service came at around two...so we told them we didn't need them today"

I expected him to reply, but instead, he acted as if the excuse didn't deserve a response. "I've come to you to discuss your dishonesty"

I give him a confused look. "I don't understand"

I make sure that I'm at least a two feet away from him, and he's looking down on me the way a parent would look down on a naughty child. "You are not eighteen"

My eyes widened and I open my mouth, but shut it quickly. I'm beginning to wonder I thought lying would get me anywhere in the first place.

"And thankfully, I'm a person with some moral standing, and chose not to go on another date with you regardless of you supposedly turning eighteen", he begins. "But you're sixteen, still in high school, and lying to adults to go on dates with them so you can what? Find the man of your dreams?"

I'm so embarrassed, and can't even find any words to say to defend myself. Bringing up the fact that I only did it for money would not improve the situation. It was best that I stayed quiet and took the punches.

"Well the man of your dreams is not twice your age, and you're a fool for believing so", he says coldly. "And if you end up going on a date with the wrong adult he could end up taking advantage of you"

I did nothing but nod my head in agreement, pretending to show some type of connection with the conversation. My head was pounding so furiously that I could barely hear him speaking.

"But the biggest issue of all is that your actions don't have consequences for you, but do have consequences for the person who believes you're of legal age", he says sternly. "Do you seriously not care if someone goes to jail because of you?"

"I do care", I say softly.

"Then date someone your age", he snaps at me. "I'm sure there are tons of sixteen year old boys that would love to be in a relationship with you"

"I'm not gay", I say as if the accusation was seriously offensive.

"I don't care what your sexuality is, just don't lie about your age to people if you're looking for a possible relationship with them", he snaps. "And I don't want you communicating with my brother"

"Why not?"

Not that I actually wanted to keep talking to the creeper, I just wanted to know why I wasn't allowed to talk to him.

"Because I know guys like you", he says accusingly. "And I know guys like my brother"

It only took those few words to make me snap. "You know nothing about me", I say as I raise my voice. "You are the first person I've ever gone on a date with that was older than me. So how can you say that I'm out to get with every guy with a credit card and a full time job?"

Finally, he shuts his mouth and listens to what I have to say. "And congrats on your 'good moral standing', I bet it's the one thing that reminds you that you're not a total asshole", I say harshly. "But don't expect a trophy in your name or a gold ribbon as if rejecting a minor is some type of 'good deed'. It doesn't make you any better than someone who believes age is just a number"

He snorts at me before crossing his arms. "I'm going to act like I didn't hear that since you're just a child and you don't know any better", he begins. "But if you still think what you're doing is right then go off and do it cause I can't stop you...but you better stay away from my brother"

"Or what?", I challenge.

He gives me an icy glare, and I return the cold look. "I doubt you'd like to find out"

With those being his last few words he heads towards the door. My heart tells me I have to say what's on my mind before it's too late and I never get to say it to him face to face.

"So you felt nothing on our first date?", I ask loud enough for him to hear.

He definitely heard me, but instead of answering the question, he turned the door knob and left the room. An act of true cowardliness.

* * *

"You're fired"

Not the best words to hear first thing in the morning, but I wasn't very surprised. I hadn't been showing up to work on time the past few days and I'd been slacking off. I guess I never really cared if I kept my job or not. With the amount of money I have, I really don't need to work.

"I will give you your last paycheck this Sunday", he says coldly. "Let this be a lesson that you can't just screw around and expect good results"

I nod my head understandingly before exiting his office. There wasn't a hint of guilt or disappointment on my face and oddly, it gave me some feeling of power. _I don't need this shitty job anyways...but the question is...what am I going to do to keep myself occupied for the rest of the summer? _Finding a new job that was more enjoyable was definitely an option, but even then, I wouldn't take it as seriously as I should.

As usual, I'm not focused on where I'm going and end up running into someone. I'm annoyed when I recognize the person's face. _Here we go again._

"Well lucky me, I finally found you", he says sweetly. "I was looking for you"

"Yeah, yeah, what do you want?", I ask impatiently.

"I want to take you out on a date"

I roll my eyes at the offer. "I think I've had enough of dating", I say impatiently. "And besides, I don't have time to go on dates, I have a job", I lie.

"With all the money you have, you still work?"

The shock in his voice doesn't surprise me.

"Of course. You think I'd just lounge around in my room all day bored out of my mind?"

"To be honest, yes"

I give him an annoyed look before turning away to end the conversation. Iruka walks by me, and I pray that he doesn't mention the job that I no longer have.

"And by the way", Iruka says as he approaches me. "You need to turn in your uniform by tomorrow"

I'm positive that Itachi had heard that sentence, and once again, I'm stuck in an awkward situation.

"I guess you no longer have that job you mentioned", Itachi says with mockery in his voice.

I turn around with an unimpressed look on my face. "Can't you just leave me alone? It's kind of weird to go on a date with the person your brother rejected"

"Not really", he says nonchalantly. "I believe that you are worthy of my affection"

I snort at his ego. "I'm flattered", I say with an eye roll. "But I have no interest in doing anything with you"

Sasuke's warning is ringing loudly in my head. Part of me didn't mind going on a date with Itachi since I had nothing better to do, but the other part of me told me there was a reason Sasuke forbidded me from being near Itachi.

"Are you really going to give up a free trip to a high end spa outside of the city?"

The idea sounded pretty relaxing, and saying "no" didn't sound appealing at the moment. After all, would Sasuke really do anything if he found out I was hanging around his brother? Did it really affect him that much?

"Why me?", I ask suspiciously. "A man like you could have any guy or girl in the world, so why me?"

The question made me sound insecure, but it was hard for me to care. I just wanted an honest answer.

"Because you are unlike any other guy or girl I've encountered", he begins. "You know I'm wealthy, and I know you find me good looking, but you don't chase after me and you're not afraid to give me attitude"

_You got that right. _

"It's what draws me towards you", he says with what little emotion he had. "It's what makes me wonder...there must be more to you"

The genuineness of his response was shocking, and I could feel heat rising to my cheeks. _So he really is into me?_

"But you've got to be around thirty", I remind him.

"Thirty one to be exact", he says calmly. "I hope that's not an issue"

"_The man of your dreams is not twice your age"_

"The age gap isn't a big deal to me", I say softly. "I hate to admit this, but I would like to go on a date with you"

"_And you're a fool for believing so"_

A victorious smirk creeps onto his face. "And to think I'd have to bribe you with money like last time"

_Well he is very good looking...still creepy...but yet...captivating...and in an abnormal way, kind of nice and sincere._

"I'll visit your room tomorrow at two", he says with a smile.

I nod my head, showing that I approved of the time.

"Don't forget", he says before gently caressing his fingertips on the back of my neck and leaving me in the hallway dumbfounded.

_I'm going on a date with...Itachi Uchiha. But why am I still thinking of how Sasuke would feel? Why should I care about that jerk's feelings? He rejected me...I should just forget about his stupid duck butt hair and that obnoxiously attractive smirk he gives when he's right...and how toned and muscular his body is...and how he does nice things but struggles to admit it._ Damn, meeting a guy like him will poison your mind.

* * *

The next day, I made sure to wake up on time. I made sure that my hair was combed to perfection, I made sure that my pants didn't have any holes in them, and I made sure my shirt wasn't wrinkled so when the time came for me to leave, I didn't look a complete mess.

"Lookin' good", I say to the mirror in front of me.

I was wearing a plain light blue button up t-shirt and tan khakis. To add an edginess to my look, I rolled up the sleeves of my shirt to my elbows. Not only did my shirt and pants match, the shoes I wore matched them too. _I just hope I'm not over dressed. _

There was a knock on the door, and my heart beat started to race. _I can't believe I'm doing this. How many dates can I go on until Jiraiya grows suspicious of me or somehow finds out. _The thought had never crossed my mind. _Ha! Who am I kidding! He's never going to find out if all he does is come home late at night drunk off his ass._

I open the door, and to my surprise, he was wearing casual clothes. Clothes that I had been lounging around in my room all day. Athletic pants and a white wife beater. A basic look someone of his status wouldn't dare to wear outside.

"You look nice", he says with a smirk. "But you do know we are going to a spa, right?"

My face is turning red, and I struggle to find a sassy retort.

"But either way, both of our clothes will be off once we reach the spa"

He had a point, but he didn't have to say it so...seductively. Was he trying to make me uncomfortable?

"You're right", I grumble.

He nods his head and offers me his hand. I stare at it, not knowing what to do.

"Why are you being so hesitant? This is a date, is it not?"

"I mean...I just...I've never held hands with someone before"

It was embarrassing to admit, but it was true. I was so in shock that I didn't react the way I should've.

"Well today's your lucky day", he says with a smile.

I look back down at his pale hand, failing to take my eyes off his long fingers. Slowly, I put my hand in his. As I suspected, his hand was rough and warm. Not to mention, much larger than mine.

"You and I are going to have a lot of fun today"

And at that moment, I knew there was no backing out of whatever I'd gotten myself into. He lifts my hand and kisses it, a gesture that I didn't find to be appropriate in public. Luckily, no one was around to see it.

"W-what the hell!?", I snap at him.

He chuckles before ruffling my hair with his other hand. "Consider that my way of making a promise"

We walk to the parking lot of the hotel, and he pulls out a shiny pair of car keys. I see the lights of his car flash, and my eyes widen when I see the symbol on the back of it. _A bright red lamborghini...this is a once in a lifetime chance! _

"Whoa!", I yell as I run my hand over the side of the car. "This is awesome!"

"Not my favorite car", he says carelessly. "It's a little too flashy, but it's the fastest car I own and people find it to be impressive"

"This car is...the coolest thing ever!...I'd kill to drive a car like this"

"Hm", he says before opening the car door for me. "Maybe after our date, I'll let you drive it around in the parking lot. How does that sound?"

I couldn't believe my ears. _He's going to let me drive this thing?! _

"I...I can't take that offer...what if I crash it?"

He shrugs, as if damaging the car wasn't a big issue. "It's not like I can't afford to fix it"

_Damn rich people. _

"I'm still not sure", I say as I get inside.

The seats were made of shiny black leather, and just being inside made me feel spoiled. _How does he turn on the radio?! There are so many buttons! _He gets in the car, sticking the key in the ignition carefully. _I wonder how many people have actually rode inside this car with him. _

When the car starts, everything comes to life. The buttons glow, an upbeat pop song blasts through the stereos, and the entire atmosphere makes me feel like I'm in a spaceship. _Everything is so high tech...and the sound quality of the speakers is amazing!_

"Nice, isn't it?"

_Of course it's nice you rich bastard! Why did you even bother asking!"_

"Incredible", I say with the biggest grin I've ever had on my face. "I wanna see it on the road!"

He backs out of the parking lot without effort, and I prepare myself for the best car ride of my life.

"The spa is a little far, so we'll get to go on the highway"

My excitement only increases from those words. "Wanna see how fast this thing can go?"


	9. Chapter 9

The volume was turned up so high that I could feel the bass vibrating through my seat, and I'm positive that the speed we were going could get us arrested. Of course, that didn't really faze me. We were only going about eighty miles per hour...for now.

"I love the speed on this thing", Itachi says proudly. "It can go so much faster than this"

I gave him a full smile, and leaned further back in my chair. _I will definitely not regret this decision...I really would've missed out if I'd rejected him! _

"Well, you're the driver", I say casually.

A calm smirk creeps onto his face, and I can feel the speed picking up. "Prepare yourself", he warns me.

I give him a look as if I didn't understand what he was planing. _Prepare for what? What's going on?_

"I'm gonna turn this highway into my own race track"

I nodded at the idea, not seeing any harm in it. _It's not like we're going to go over one hundred miles per hour. He's not that crazy. _The speedometer went to 83 to 100 in the blink of an eye. _Okay so maybe we're gonna go over one hundred…_

"I think we should slow down...we might hit some traffic"

The panic in my voice was clear, so I knew that he would slow down. After all, he seems to really like me, so whatever I say, he ought to listen to if he wants another date! _I hope he listens to me! Even I wouldn't drive this fast!_

He nods his head, and we go back to our regular speed. _Thank god there aren't too many cars around us, this really could've been a bad day if we'd crashed. _

"Sorry about that", he says with vibrant shame in his voice. "Safety first"

My heart beat begins to slow down, and everything feels safe again. "It's fine"

For a moment, everything feels still, even though the car is going 75mph. Nothing screams "regret" more than a close to death experience.

"So", he says to break the silence. "You must be excited about the news"

_Oh right...the news...the news that could change my life forever. The news that could make make my grandfather and I rich...that news..._I wasn't really sure on how I'd actually felt about it.

"I am", I say happily. "I just hope everything works out in the end"

"Oh it will", he says a little too confidently. "And you know, I can easily see you as a one of the characters from the first book"

I roll my eyes, unsure of whether I should feel grateful or insulted. "Which one?", I ask dryly.

"Lyle"

I raise my eyebrow, fully aware of the type of character Lyle was. _Sweet, innocent Lyle...at least, that's how he was portrayed on the outside. _As far as I knew, he was a side character, a very gay one to say the least; a character with a lively sex life and a vengeful spirit...but I only know this because Kiba told me. He read every book in the icha icha series, and couldn't help but give me a summary of each one.

"You have the same blond hair and bright blue eyes as him", he says sweetly. "You're the perfect height and you have the perfect build for his character"

"Really?"

"Yes, if you were old enough, I'd find a way to make my brother put you in that movie"

I snort at the idea. "You wouldn't pay me enough to be in that movie", I retort dryly. "And it's not like I'm movie star material anyways"

He chuckles, and I'm glad that he's slowing down. "But you've got such a cute face"

I scoff at the compliment. "Good to know"

"Don't like being called cute, do you?"

I cross my arms and turn my face towards the window. "No"

He broadcasts a sly smirk and turns the radio down. "You must get called cute a lot, I bet"

"M-maybe!", I say nervously. "A-and I don't like it!"

He chuckles darkly, and I roll my eyes. _God, he can be such a pain in the ass! _

"I will refrain from calling you that then"

My face remains straight, and his face remains smug as usual. "You speak so formally", I say quietly.

He narrows his eyes at the road in front of him. "I've grown acustom to speaking formally because of my job", he says as he turns his head towards me with the most genuine smile I've ever seen from him.

I'd almost forgot to ask him about his career. The types of jobs this man could possess were endless. _A doctor, a lawyer, a business man, an entrepreneur...he's just so sophisticated and well spoken...and probably way smarter than anyone I know well._

"What do you do for a living?"

We pull off the exit slowly, and I can tell that the question made him happy. "Glad you asked", he begins. "I'm a-"

A car horn interrupts our conversation. _How long has that light been green? _

"Guess I need to keep my eyes on the road", he says without much worry. "And keep my eyes off of you"

I can't come up with a witty remark, so instead I sit there red in the face the whole car ride, wondering why someone like him was so infatuated with someone like me. What bothered me the most was that he never did tell me about his career. Instead, he changed the topic, and I just sat there nodding my head to every word that left his mouth.

* * *

"Whoa"

It was the only word I could come up with at the moment. I'd never been in a room that lit up like this. It was so quiet, and peaceful, and the salmon colored walls that surrounded us added a serenity that I couldn't find in my boring hotel room.

"The perfect place to relax", Itachi says softly.

The decor was simple, yet elegant; pictures of flowers hung on the walls, and the blankets on the massage tables looked like they were made for royalty- only worthy for someone of Itachi's status to touch.

"Perfect", I say as I run my fingertips on the headrest. _It's exactly like the movies. _

The door opens, and two, tall, plainly dressed men walk in. One had dark skin the color of black coffee and dark eyes like Itachi, and the other had fair skin and golden brown eyes that glistened in the dim lighting. Both of them were undeniably attractive and fit.

"Glad to see you again, Itachi", the darker man says with a smile that showed off his pearly white teeth. "And I see you brought a friend", the lighter one adds.

"Yes, this is my boyfriend, Naruto"

I nod my head in agreement, until the words finally clicked in my head. _Boyfriend?! What?!_

"Wait! That's not true!", I say in defense.

The two men chuckle, and I give Itachi a menacing glare. "Well, future boyfriend", Itachi says proudly.

"It's our first date", I tell the two men.

They look me up and down, analyzing me like I'm an undiscovered species. "You look kinda young. How old are you?"

I look over to Itachi, who only raises his eyebrows at me. _What do I even say? Should I tell the truth? _

"That is information that will remain disclosed until it is ready to be brought to the public", Itachi says before I can open my mouth.

The darker man shakes his head, and the other lets out an irritated snort. "You know Itachi, they really are taking this age thing seriously these days...remember what happened last year with-"

"We came here for a massage", Itachi says darkly. "Not to discuss my personal life"

His words immediately shut the two up, and they went right to work. I watched from the massage table as they pulled out a variety of oils and lotions, lathering their hands with strange substances that smelled strong and sweet.

"Aren't you going to get comfortable?"

I turn my attention to Itachi, who is now wearing nothing but a tight pair of white underwear, exposing a bulge so large that you'd think he was smuggling something in there. His muscles rippled as he crawled onto the table and into a position that made him look like he was modeling.

"I'm sure someone with a body like yours has nothing to be ashamed of"

"You're so creepy", I murmur as I begin to strip in front of him. In less than half a minute I'm only wearing my black and white briefs.

"Very nice", he purrs.

"Lie down", the masuese orders.

I didn't appreciate his demanding tone, or the irritated look he was giving me. _Oh great! What did I did I do now? _

I do as I'm told, putting my head on the headrest so my face is facing the floor, and laying my arms by my side. _Don't worry about it, whatever he's mad over doesn't matter to me. _

And with all honesty, it didn't. His anger wasn't my problem, but what was my problem was the way his hands were treating me. This massage was no where near gentle or relaxing, and my body was beginning to tense up.

"Ouch", I finally hiss out through clenched teeth.

"Sorry, did that hurt you?"

His unapologetic tone made me angry. _He's doing this on purpose. _

"Yes", I bite back harshly.

"I didn't know you were so sensitive. I will be lighter on my hands from now on"

_You better be you big jerk!_

"It's fine", I say as if the situation didn't bother me.

This time, he wasn't as rough, and I was beginning to relax. Strong hands dug into tender muscles and loosened them up, making all of my stress die down. _Wow...I didn't know that something like this could feel so good. _

"Better?", he asked impatiently.

"Mhm", I moan softly.

* * *

I look over at Itachi, who is slowly getting off of the table.

"That was refreshing", Itachi says as he stretches"

The masueses left not long ago, and the smell of body oil still haunted the room. "It was", I say softly.

"You know", he begins. "I'm good with my hands too"

I turn towards him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh really?", I grumble.

He nods his head, and he saunters over to where I'm laying. "Just as skilled with my hands as they are", he says seductively. "Want me to prove it?"

I decided not to respond, mainly because I didn't know how to. The suggestive comment could have meant a lot of things, and I winced when he put his hand on my back.

"Don't be scared", he murmurs. "I'm not going to hurt you"

His finger traced a line from the bottom of my neck to the small of my back, and I immediately began to tremble. "Roll over for me"

I didn't bother to object. _Why isn't he like his brother? _We're now looking at each other, face to face with nothing to hide. _Why was he so quick to want me after I got rejected? _Their facial features were so similar, so defined, and they both made me feel the same uncertain nervousness in my stomach.

"D-don't get any weird ideas", I warn him. "I'm not-"

My words were cut off by soft lips and hands around my wrists. _Damn it! What if he's a total creeper! What if Sasuke warned me to stay away from him for a reason! _Well now was certainly not the best time to make all of these realizations. I was stuck with really nowhere to go and a giant stranger on top of me.

"You're skin is so soft and flawless", he says as rubs his nose against my neck.

"Tachi", I hiss at him.

I'd forgotten that our clothes were still on the floor, so when something large and hard pressed against my thigh, something clicked with in my mind. "We shouldn't be doing this", I warn him.

"There are a lot of things people shouldn't do, but do anyways"

Hands run through my hair and I can feel his tongue gliding softly up and down my neck, and before I can say anything more, he bites down, causing an erotic gasp to escape from my lips. _What do I do?! Why does he want to do this here?! What if someone walks in on us?! He'll get into so much trouble!_

* * *

**A/N: Not a long chapter, but I left a good cliff hanger and sadly don't plan on writing the next chapter in Naruto's prospective. I hope you enjoyed!**


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